Logical choice

As the grandson of a farmer and the son of an executive working in the agriculture cooperative community, Derk did not have to think twice about doing a degree at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). At home, everything revolved around gardening and plants. His own hobbies were also related to those things, and he was good at STEM subjects at school. However, as soon as he embarked on his degree in phytopathology, he found that he was more interested in governance than in lab work. So after completing his military service, he enrolled in a different programme: agricultural economics, specialising in business and market studies.

Derk: “Obviously, the Wageningen study programme allows students to specialise in this sector, but Wageningen alumni are sought after elsewhere, as well,” says Derek. “Both Bert-Jaap and I received an offer from Shell, which meant we were introduced to a very different field of work. We both decided to stay in the technology industry, which is so dynamic that we’re quite enjoying it. After Shell, I worked in various positions at Stork and Sphinx (ceramics) for several years, before starting out on my own. As a consultant and interim manager, and later as an investor, I spent a lot of time working in strategy, restructuring and financing. These were exactly the qualities sought at Royal IHC a few years ago.”

A Wageningen alumnus in the technology industry

“As an engineer, what you have in common with other engineering graduates is an interest in technical subjects. People are quick to notice this, and I have always felt accepted. In management positions, in particular, in-depth knowledge of technology is not crucial to one’s ability to run a company. However, as a Wageningen alumnus, I did feel a bit like the odd man out in this world initially. So I did consider doing an MBA at one point, like Bert-Jaap did. In retrospect, it would probably have been a good idea to do so, as there is not enough of a focus on the financial side of affairs in the economics and business administration courses taught at Wageningen. On the other hand, my professor of business administration, Dré Kampfraath, had worked at Hoogovens, and to this day, I find myself using concepts he wove into his lectures nearly every day.

Challenges encountered at Royal IHC

Working across borders always appealed to me. Wageningen, too, has always been an internationally oriented university, although in my day, the international aspect was still limited to development-related disciplines. While I served on the University Council, I therefore submitted a proposal for ‘internationalisation’, designed to broaden the professional field internationally as well. In the technology industry, what matters most is the dynamic of shifting industrial centres of gravity around the world, and how Dutch companies are to respond to these shifts. In essence, the questions to be answered are no different from those asked in the agriculture sector. As a company or institution, you can only stay afloat by developing and utilising knowledge. So our research and IP portfolios also play a big role in our business model.

Solar and wind farms and investment fund

Since I have travelled a lot in my career and also lived and worked abroad for a considerable number of years, there has not been much room for social activities. After returning to the Netherlands, I actively focused on energy politics and established several solar and wind farms with a civil energy cooperative. I met many like-minded people there, including an above-average number of Wageningen alumni. In that environment, governance aspects, technology, financing and citizen participation all go hand in hand in a very nice way, thus allowing me to also do something with the political experience I gained in Wageningen. At Royal IHC, I am currently collaborating on another wind power project with another WUR alumnus, Wubbo Tempel, whom I met in student politics in Wageningen back in the day. He is a councillor in Krimpen aan den IJssel now. It has been fun working with him.

My Supervisory Board also includes a WUR alumna: Birgit Otto (Environmental Health, 1982). And I still have a small number of close friends from Wageningen, whom I see regularly. One of them, in association with several other agriculture sector promoters, runs an investment fund that invests in agricultural land in Romania. I serve on its Supervisory Board. Among other things, this fund invests in land improvement and irrigation, which is very important in that region. With my Wageningen background and the experience of finance and strategy I gained in the technology industry, I find myself quite at home there.

Tips for students

The degree programmes taught at Wageningen have always offered a lot of electives. Please take advantage of those electives and focus on things you actually enjoy. You don’t have to stick with the first degree programme you choose. Interests shift, as do employment prospects. Be sure to do things your own way in all of this. People who have opinions of their own and also dare to experiment are more useful to employers than people who always stay on the beaten track.”

Business administration and agrotechnology students are welcome to do a work placement at Royal IHC. Opportunities may also be available to students doing other engineering degrees such as sensor technology. Check here the career opportunities.