Youthful interest

Already as a school boy I was interested in nature. From my 12th year I was member of the Youth Assaciation for Nature Research. I studied and learned many groups of organisms: birds, plants, mosses, mushrooms, dragonflies and water beasts. For a research of the urban canals in Naarden (the Neterlands), it was my task to identify the snails. And I loved it!

Academic study

Finally, I liked hydro-biology the must. It appeared you could study this at Wageningen University. The subject was called “Environmental health and water purification”. My graduate subjects were Algae Potention Tests and macro invertebrates in creeks in Achterhoek region (the Netherlands).

Experience at water boards

Soon after my higher education I got an appointment with the (former) Waterboard Zuiveringsschap Drenthe (the Netherlands). I worked there from 1987 till 1999. In those years I was involved in many subjects which were related to water quality and aquatic ecology, such as water level management, mowing management, discharge of purified sewage water, sewage water outlets, renaturation of creeks, biomanipulation, monitoring, etc.

After the fusion of several water boards in the north of the Netherlands, I got an appointment with Waterboard Reest & Wieder, where I worked pleasantly a couple of years.

Busnesslike fashion and international work

Still, more and more I felt I would like to do something else. Especially I was looking for work abroad. Eventually I hoped to find this with the company ARCADIS. In those years Euroconsult was a subsidiary of ARCADIS. And I succeeded. After a successful project in Poland, I was involved in many international projects. Besides this new international experience, I made a big step from government to business. Not a slight change!

Starting as a freelancer

Unfortunately, Euroconsult was sold to the British company Mott MacDonald in 2007. I feared that my international projects were terminated, unless I started as a freelancer. And so I did. On January 1st 2008 I made a huge changeover again and I started my own company. And I liked this change too very much. Mostly I do my work in the Netherlands, but I also have some international projects. And what’s also important: I have less pressure and more spare time!