01-05-2014
Please meet: Wouter van der Laak
The Green Chemistry Campus has welcomed a new colleague: Wouter van der Laak. He is the successor of Wiebe Logghe and he will be responsible for the biobased business development of both the Green Chemistry Campus and Biorizon.
Wouter introduces himself below and you can follow him on twitter:
"Hi, I am Wouter van der Laak. As of April 14, I became a member of the Rewin Acquisition team as successor of Wiebe Logghe. My main concern will be acquisition for the GCC (Green Chemistry Campus). My passion for the biobased economy and specifically technologies which contribute to a more independent, sustainable and cleaner future, has attracted me to become a part of the REWIN organization. Bio Based is one of the Top sectors for the West-Brabant area in which REWIN plays an important role.
I have a background in mechanical engineering and fulfilled my Master degree at the Technical University of Eindhoven. I graduated on the subject Strategic Niche Management which addresses the way innovations can develop from niche to regime level (the market place). In this development path, social networks, the management of expectations and learning cycles are critical key factors that contribute to the success of new technological developments. We are all part of these processes.
From 2005-2008, I worked as a policy advisor for the Province of Brabant. There, I worked on financing and development of alternative fuels for mobility. From 2008-2014 I worked for construction company Ballast Nedam in the position of ‘Business Developer New Fuels’ (biomethane, hydrogen and electricity). Ballast Nedam invests in the infrastructure for alternative mobility fuels in The Netherlands like CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). My driving force was the anticipation that in the nearby future, fossil based fuels had to be substituted with sustainable fuels like biomethane and LBM (Liquid BioMethane). I organized the value chains for dedicated fuels, developed projects and created partnerships. The fuels I was working on were all from renewable resources: solar, wind, hydro or biomass. So, here my interest for biomass based fuels started and also created the interest to contribute to developments in the chemical sector.
Together with the colleagues of REWIN, the initiators (Sabic, the province of Brabant and the municipality of Bergen op Zoom), the innovative companies inside the GCC and new ones, I want to contribute to the success of the campus in Bergen op Zoom.
I am looking forward to meet all the key actors in this very fascinating environment as soon as possible!"
