ROTTERDAM – On 1 September 2016, Peter de Graaf will start work as Information & Technology Director. In De Graaf, Portbase is gaining an energetic IT expert who will enable the company’s continued innovation, allowing it to add even more value for the community.
He will succeed the current IT Director, Willem van Groenland, who was appointed ad interim in October 2015. Under Van Groenland’s guidance, the professionalisation of Portbase continued while the company grew in its role as a central hub connecting parties in maritime logistics. This role entails more than merely driving innovation; it can be political in nature as well. For this reason, the organisation has taken the time necessary to find a suitable director: one who can take its IT services to the next level and who also has experience in establishing and maintaining relationships with diverse parties.
Portbase General Manager Iwan van der Wolf is very pleased with the appointment of the new director: “Despite his relative youth at only 38 years old, Peter has vast experience in the realisation and management of smart data and information services. As IT Manager at Stedin, for example, he was responsible for innovating that company’s IT services and ICT infrastructure. In the period ahead, Portbase intends to pursue further innovation—by offering data services, among other means—and to bring additional value to the community through these efforts. Peter’s experience and his strong focus on improvement will most certainly help Portbase achieve its aims.”
For Peter de Graaf, the reasons for working with Portbase are clear as day. “I find Portbase’s position in the port industry and the many millions of messages exchanged via Portbase each day to be highly attractive prospects. What’s more, I view the continued research into and realisation of new services in cooperation with the various parties, and the accompanying stakeholder management, as major—and challenging—aspects of this position,” according to De Graaf.
