Congratulations on your award.
„At last it’s been announced! I’ve known about it for a year and a half already, but the ceremony was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. It’s been hard to keep my mouth shut for all this time.It doesn’t feel like recognition just for me – it also honours the efforts of all of our staff. As a company, we’ve undergone a transformation over the past decade. Much has changed. For the people who’ve been with us for a long time, this hasn’t always been an easy process.”
In your speech, you mentioned that as a business administration student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you looked up to other businesswomen.
„That’s right. Back then, businesswoman Sylvia Tóth received the same award I’ve just received now. I believe Neelie Kroes presented the award that year. They were – and are – hugely successful. Their self-assurance and accomplishments are significant. I can still remember Neelie Kroes officially opening our premises in Wijchen in 1979, and feeling great respect for her at the time.”
What exactly is the Koninklijke Nooteboom Groep (Royal Nooteboom Group) renowned for?
„If you’ve ever seen one of those huge trailers on the highway, chances are it’s one of ours. We’re a family business that started out with a blacksmith making horseshoes. Since then, we’ve grown to become the leading manufacturer of trailers for international oversize load road transport. There’s almost nothing for which we can’t provide the ideal transport solution: excavators, steel constructions, crane parts and wind turbine blades.”