Meet our new board members Natasja Sesink & Kees Turnhout
Our association has two new board members! Now that Den Helder is also part of AYOP’s working area, it is only logical that director of Port of Den Helder Kees Turnhout will take a seat on the board. Natasja Sesink, co-founder of MeeMaken, is also a great addition with her extensive network and experience in the sector. Kees and Natasja met each other prior to their first board meeting in IJmuiden. A great opportunity to get better acquainted. We were there, so that you can get to know our new board members as well.
Natasja: How nice to meet you like this, Kees!
Kees: Yes, great idea to do it this way! It immediately creates a bond!
Natasja: Did you come from Den Helder today?
Kees: Yes, I live in Den Helder. Not far from the Port building. If my schedule allows it, I like to walk to work. That walk provides a good connection to the port.
Natasja: That sounds like a good start to the day! Have you lived in Den Helder for a long time?
Kees: I moved to Den Helder when I was 18. I am now 65, so that is actually a pretty long time. I worked for the Royal Navy from the age of 18 to 56. Pretty soon after my ‘age release’ from the Navy, Port of Den Helder came my way and I have been working there for 9 years now. In April this year I succeeded Jacoba Bolderheij as General Director. And that will not be forever, given my age. But I see it as a privilege that after my naval career I can contribute to the development of the port of Den Helder and the cooperation with other ports. There are all kinds of interesting challenges in that.
“I see it as a privilege that after my naval career I can contribute to the development of the port of Den Helder and the cooperation with other ports.” – Kees Turnhout
Natasja: What are the biggest challenges in your work?
Kees: The biggest challenge for Den Helder is of course preparing for the energy transition, which we have already been working on for quite some time. Within this big challenge, there are actually three challenges. The first is to create more space in the seaport, to also accommodate the maintenance of the wind turbines. The second is to start a new development for an energy hub. We are already an energy hub on the North Sea; around 80% of the natural gas arrives in Den Helder. We are now also looking at the role that hydrogen can play, the landing of electricity and we are also working on getting a biogas installation in Den Helder. The third challenge is to improve the overall sustainability of the port. We want to shift completely towards emission-free mobility. For example, we are working on hydrogen-powered boats. But we are also looking at new fuels such as methanol for the offshore industry. In addition, we are going to invest in shore power connections for the offshore vessels.
And what keeps you busy on a daily basis, Natasja?
Natasja: I am the operational partner at investment holding company MeeMaken. We started over 12 years ago and now have 13 companies. Our market is worldwide, but in the Netherlands we are in the manufacturing industry, i.e. designing, building and servicing equipment. For example, we have a company that makes mission equipment for large installation vessels.
There is a lot of technical innovation within our companies. For example, we develop deck handling solutions to install the monopiles for offshore wind farms. In 2016, we developed an innovative concept in Canada for maintenance on wind turbines. This is a system where 3 cranes are lifted up onto the turbine, which allows you to replace large components.
Kees: Is that remotely controlled?
Natasja: No, the team is actually on top of the wind turbine. Changing heavy components such as gearboxes is not yet that easy to robotize. But I do think that time will come. Perhaps in the future we will say in disbelief: ‘we used to sit on top of the wind turbine!’
Kees: These types of innovations are valuable for the sector!
Natasja: Definitely. In Canada we started this concept onshore. The working area is from Alaska to Texas.
In Europe we have established this concept for offshore wind turbines. We have now completed the first projects for this. We will announce more about this soon. We now have this system for both fixed and floating wind turbines. So that will be very interesting.
“Perhaps in the future we will say in disbelief: ‘we used to sit on top of the wind turbine!’” – Natasja Sesink
Natasja: In addition to the technical companies, we also have an alley of different online learning companies. We make e-learnings, including on safe working and information security. So if you want to learn how to become a hacker, I have an e-learning for that!
Kees: I will consider it! And a word about Natasja herself… How did this life start for you?
Natasja: I studied HR and Business Administration. After graduating, I started at Mammoet, where I was responsible for HR for 11 years. During that time, I ran many projects and achieved a lot. By 2008, I had become a mother and wanted my own company. In that period I did several assignments for international corporates in the field of HR, change projects and mergers and acquisitions. In 2012, Roderik van Seumeren asked if I wanted to step in as an operational partner at a yet-to-be-founded investment company.
I said yes and I have been doing that for 12 years now. With the holding we support, facilitate and connect the portfolio companies. We make connections and ensure that the portfolio companies can do more as part of a larger group and also know how to find each other. It is still great to see this succeed.
“It is great to see that companies can do more as part of a larger group and that they know how to find each other.” – Natasja Sesink
Kees: You mentioned that you became a mother in 2008. How big is your family now?
Natasja: Two boys, who are now 17 and 13! And you?
Kees: We also have two boys, aged 34 and 36. They both followed in my footsteps: they are both Marine Officers and both live in Den Helder. We don’t visit each other often, but it’s nice to have them nearby.
Natasja: That sounds very nice! And what else do you do in your spare time? Do you do sports?
Kees: I used to run a lot, but that’s not for me anymore. Cycling has taken its place. Not electric, but all under my own power. We have a lovely holiday home on the Veluwe. So whenever possible, we’re there cycling.
Kees: What are your expectations of joining the AYOP board?
Natasja: I admire AYOP very much. I think it is incredibly clever how they find the connection as a network organization. Both in terms of content and in the organization of events: I think that is really great. Moreover, I am a fan of this region. Entrepreneurship combined with fun. You can also feel and see that when you are a guest at the Telstar business club on Friday evenings. In addition, from my role as chairwoman of the executive board of NedZero, there is a lot of common ground with the transition you mentioned before. You need the connection. You need each other!
Kees: From your role at NedZero, I assume you look with interest at what the ports of North Holland are doing. Does that motivate you to be a part of it?
Natasja: Everyone wants to be part of AYOP, right? But yes, absolutely. If I look at WindEurope – they have the port facilities as one of the highest priorities on the agenda. And rightly so. That is the foundation and a lot still needs to be done. So I think that it is very valuable to have that connection.
“I don’t know of any policy paragraph that substantively addresses how we can realize the space in the ports. So there are major challenges ahead of us.” – Kees Turnhout
Kees: Yes, I’m busy with that too, regarding that first challenge for Port of Den Helder that I mentioned earlier: space in the port. If you now look at the port memorandum of I&W, it is mainly about what’s going on in the major ports. The road to policy tables is longer for us as the port of Den Helder and IJmuiden. Ideally, you want to say directly to the ministry: “Hey, the NSEC study clearly shows an urgency and we are prepared to take steps”. The NSEC study is mainly focused on the construction and assembly of wind farms. But Den Helder’s focus is much more on the O&M phase. So we are now deepening that study: what exactly is needed in terms of space and facilities? And which part of that can we realize in Den Helder? We do want to discuss this in The Hague as well.
Natasja: I think the facts don’t lie either. If you look at the government’s Roadmap 2032 for offshore wind energy and what is needed for that…
Kees: True, but I don’t know of any policy paragraph that substantively addresses how we can realize the space in the ports. So there are major challenges ahead of us.
Natasja: Absolutely. And an extensive network naturally contributes to that. What is your view on your board position at AYOP?
Kees: I think that the scale on which the energy transition will affect the ports is the reason why I am here and why it is so important to join AYOP. We really need to look at what potential the energy transition on the North Sea now offers for the North Holland ports.
I also think that the Den Helder area can offer a solution to issues that exist in the North Sea Canal Area. The North Sea Canal Area will soon need a lot of sustainable energy – in the form of hydrogen, but also electricity – but does not always have the space to land or produce it. Den Helder does not need a lot of energy, but is very conveniently located in relation to the wind farms on the North Sea. And we still have space to develop an energy cluster.
I hope that with Den Helder joining AYOP we will look at that joint proposition on a different level. Have a helicopter view and looking at it like, ‘Alright, this is the North Holland delta: there are a lot of strenghts in there. Some are in the north-western tip, others are in IJmuiden and Amsterdam, and they are related in this way.’
So I see it as a wonderful opportunity that we can make the connection with AYOP from Den Helder. And today we are taking an important first step in that.
Natasja: Certainly, Kees. Here’s to a great collaboration and thanks for the great conversation!
