TOPIC: Facilitating the energy transition.

Following a distinguished career in the Dutch Navy, van Gelder returned to the civilian world in 2004. After a couple of years in the aviation industry he joined BP in the Netherlands as a maintenance manager. Soon after he was made project director and, at the end of 2007, he became managing director.

In 2010 van Gelder changed jobs again to become CEO of the national grid company in the Netherlands. After three years he left to troubleshoot a company in distress. A couple of years later he was approached by SHV, Mammoet’s parent company, where he joined the board of sister company Eriks. In 2017 SHV asked him to join Mammoet.