Boudewijn Siemons (56) has been appointed as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Port of Rotterdam Authority as of 1 October 2020. As such, Siemons will also be joining the Port Authority’s Executive Board. Boudewijn Siemons succeeds Ronald Paul in this role, the company said in its release.
Miriam Maes, Chair of the Supervisory Board: 'The Supervisory Board is delighted that Boudewijn Siemons will be sharing his wide-ranging expertise and extensive experience to the benefit of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. We have entrusted him with responsibility for the vast infrastructure of Europe’s largest port. This is an important responsibility, since we need to maintain the infrastructure of our port and industrial complex at its current, world-class level.'
Boudewijn Siemons: 'The port of Rotterdam boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure, which sees extensive use by its many clients. It is the Port Authority’s ambition to ensure that this infrastructure improves even further by taking optimal advantage of technological innovations and digitalisation. I see it as both an honour and a wonderful challenge to bear responsibility for this important portfolio within the Port Authority. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and stakeholders.'
Boudewijn Siemons has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Until recently, Siemons served as President of Royal Vopak’s Americas division. After graduating from the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine (Netherlands Defense Academy), Siemons started his career in 1987 at the Royal Netherlands Navy, where he worked until 1998. From 1998 to 2006, Siemons fulfilled various management positions at Royal VolkerWessels. In 2006 he moved to Vopak, where he worked in a number of management roles in Europe, the Middle East and America.
As of 1 October 2020, the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s Executive Board will be made up of CEO Allard Castelein, CFO Vivienne de Leeuw and COO Boudewijn Siemons.