About me

New policy is desperately needed

Your municipality must be natural gas-free. Because of the climate treaty, the limitations of natural gas extraction and the desired independence of foreign energy suppliers. But also because the current gas pipes in the street have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced. I am convinced that it is possible. I offer you support during the largest transition that your municipality has ever experienced.

What can I do for you?

My name is Remko Zuidema and I believe that as an alderman you are the center of this transition; you are the pivot around which the civil service organization and the population revolve. You are therefore vulnerable, because the transition is unknown territory. Nobody has done it before. I know you can make a difference. You can mean a lot by, for example, protecting people who are vulnerable and directing all movements in the right direction. It is precisely through this transition that you can grow enormously and thus position yourself.

Why am I the expert who can help you?

For example, I learned to communicate from home and connect with all disciplines that need to work together for the transition that is in the pipeline: technical, financial, legal, organizational and psychological. My grandfather, as Director of Public Works, built up the municipality of Zeist from a village. His brother ran the family business in Overijssel as a contractor. My grandmother was a lawyer and her oldest brother was the mayor of Leeuwarden for 20 years. My other grandfather was an accountant for public transport companies, including the Dutch Railways. My father was an architect and urban planner and, for the National Planning Service in the Northern Netherlands, restored the villages and towns by relocating many companies to industrial sites. My mother ran the architectural office of our family with the neighbor as contractor for the many works in progress.

Experience

As an Architecture Engineer (TU delft) I have occupied almost all positions in society around buildings and areas. For example, I have led the development of many municipal buildings. I also have experience in civil engineering, as a civil servant, councilor, entrepreneur and active citizen. As co-founder of the DGBC (Dutch Green Building Council), and in recent years from their Health and Wellbeing working group, I have helped to demonstrate the importance of demonstrable sustainability in buildings. I learned to think and connect from all these disciplines. I have gained a lot of experience in all processes that come to you and I have thoroughly prepared myself for this, both professionally and for the process.

Network

Because of my large and diverse network I am known in all these areas. I know the political-municipal game of council, civil service and alderman. I know what dilemmas you encounter in your position. I have a lot of experience in managing and organizing large construction and neighborhood projects with large budgets and deadlines in municipalities, investors, residents and beyond.

Why be visible?

I have experienced that in large projects I had a million left over from budgets that were taken from me to put in other projects. Other project leaders with large gaps in their budgets did receive the honor for their project implementation. Prevention, I was proud of that, but solving is often more visible. I learned from it that I have to show better what I do differently and what it yields. Visibility determines the appreciation you get and ultimately the success of your efforts. That is true for you as an alderman. That is why visibility in my advice is so important.

What is my vision?

I want to contribute to a society in which buildings and areas use renewable energy. I strive for people, governments and companies to work together harmoniously in achieving this on time with social benefits for everyone involved. I think it is important to tackle this financially sound, both for the municipal budget, for individual citizens and for others. I focus on well-being and health, because I believe that people should be free in their choices and should be given confidence in their own strength, so that they are independent and self-reliant, but also receive support when they need it.

Connector between connectors

It is my mission to make the transition go as smoothly as possible. I want you to take the lead to get this done. That’s why I want to be a connector between the connectors. I want to build a bridge for cooperation and knowledge exchange between the councilors, so that you can act faster and with even more impact.

I look forward to working with you! If you want to get to know me, request an introductory interview now.

Remko Zuidema

Chairman of the BRIQS Foundation