2004
Cho Oyu, 8,201m
First attempt: turned back 200 metres from the top. Broken rib. Terrified. Went back alone. Summited. Skied down.
"Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's action in the face of it."
2005 — 2018
Five Global Brands
CEO of Mammut, Cotswold Outdoor, Bever. Chairman of Nodor. Leading thousands of people through transformation across Europe. Thought the answer was always: work harder.
2011 — 2012
Dutch Ski Touring Champion
Training for ultra-endurance while running global brands. The mountains taught what the boardroom couldn't: you summit by pace, not force.
2019
The Year Everything Stopped
Twins born at 28 weeks. 850 grams each. Over a year in intensive care. Wife seriously ill. A two-year pause from everything. The hardest period — and the most important lesson.
"When you've nearly lost what you love most, you stop wasting energy on things that don't matter."
2022 — 2023
The AI Awakening
Came back to work. AI had changed everything. Initially terrified. Then realised: this is the biggest opportunity to give people their lives back.
"I learned the hard way that more work is not the answer. Better work is."
Now
WAIMAKERS & The Stage
100+ companies transformed. Speaking to move rooms from paralysis to action. Senior Partner at WAIMAKERS. Chairman of Nodor International. The real barrier to AI is never technology. It's people.
