Schiphol appoints Pieter van Oord as new CEO

Schiphol has found a successor for the temporary CEO Ruud Sondag of the airport group in Pieter van Oord. He comes from the maritime services company Van Oord, which is known for dredging work and laying cables for offshore wind farms, among other things. Van Oord is expected to take over the management of the Schiphol Group in June next year.

Pieter van Oord is per 1 juni 2024 de nieuwe CEO van Royal Schiphol Group. De raad van commissarissen heeft hem benoemd tot 1 juni 2028. Zij benoemen van Oord vanwege zijn zeer ruime leidinggevende ervaring in een complexe, operationele sector. https://t.co/s2oNrDHIh0 pic.twitter.com/V5TIT69cuy

— Schiphol (@Schiphol) November 26, 2023

The Schiphol supervisory board explained that Van Oord's vision to make the aviation sector more sustainable played an important role in his selection. He also has extensive experience in a "complex, operational sector", according to the commissioners.

Pieter van Oord has managed the Van Oord family business since 2008, succeeding his uncle Koos. He is also a member of the supervisory board of De Hoge Veluwe National Park and chairman of the board of Feijenoord Stadium.

The current chairman of the board, Sondag, will step down in March. After that, financial director Robert Carsouw will take over as CEO for a few months. Sondag replaced Dick Benschop, who stepped down as CEO of the airport in November last year. Benschop left the airport after a chaotic summer due to staff shortages.