The person behind Qforge
I combine senior quality leadership with an engineering background and experience from the factory floor. I work with management teams, engineers, operators and suppliers to improve quality, strengthen capability and support sound decisions.
Personal & professional
A working relationship is about experience and the person behind it. Here is a closer look at my professional background, how I work and life outside work.
Personal · Home and family
I live in Aalsum in the Frisian countryside with my wife, Tineke. We have two adult children. I was born in Amsterdam and spent four childhood years in County Galway, Ireland. Tineke and I enjoy travelling and exploring new places.
Professional · Career
My career began at Philips in Drachten, operating assembly equipment and working as a soldering specialist and trainer. I moved into production quality while studying electrical engineering alongside my work.
I progressed through supplier quality engineering and management, then became Programme Quality Manager for the F-35 at Fokker. After returning to Philips, I led supplier development and quality before becoming Director of Supplier Quality for Personal Health, leading international teams.
I now work independently through Qforge. I led quality transformation at FrieslandCampina and currently provide project quality leadership and strategic quality advice at Palsgaard.
Personal · Music
Music is one of my favourite ways to unwind. I built my own listening room and acoustic treatment, measuring and making adjustments as I went. I also enjoy simply sitting down with the music.
Professional · Current assignment
Senior Project Quality Lead and Quality Strategy Consultant
At Palsgaard in Juelsminde, I provide project quality leadership and quality strategy advice for production-equipment replacement and new manufacturing facilities.
I work with project teams and suppliers on quality plans, acceptance criteria, FAT/SAT and handover readiness. The assignment also includes quality organisation development, structured investigations and team capability.
Personal · Making and restoring
I enjoy repairing and restoring vintage watches and designing and making leather watch straps. Science fiction is another interest I like to make time for.
Professional · Site improvement
Interim Quality Transformation Lead
I led a plant-wide quality transformation at the Leeuwarden can factory, working with operators, engineers and management on inspection reliability and manufacturing performance. The work combined coaching, measurement studies and experiments on welding and lacquer application.
Personal · Outdoors
I enjoy hiking and spending time outdoors. At home, I keep active with a mix of cardio and strength training.
Professional · International leadership
Director of Supplier Quality, Personal Health
I led international quality managers and engineers, with responsibility for global supplier quality strategy, qualification, development and performance. The work connected procurement, development and operations and included supplier change control and complex quality escalations.
Personal · Early curiosity
Childhood visits to Schiphol with my grandfather, who worked for KLM, sparked my interest in engineering. Those visits helped build my curiosity about how things work.
Professional · Aerospace and customers
Programme Quality Manager, F-35 / JSF
I was responsible for programme, product and process quality for the F-35 / JSF programme. My scope included direct quality-related customer communication and audits and inspections involving Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and the Dutch government.
The Fokker work package included doors, flaperons and other aircraft components. Improvement work covered foreign object debris prevention and defects in composite components.
How I work
I am direct about risks, careful about conclusions and open to challenge. I listen to the people doing the work and coach rather than dictate. I bring a calm, supportive approach and a sense of humour, including when the pressure is on.
Independent practice
Qforge is my independent quality and improvement practice, originally established as RVT Quality Services. I work with clients in the Netherlands and internationally, from focused assessments to longer interim and project assignments.
Professional foundation
Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering
Hanzehogeschool Groningen
Postgraduate professional diploma in Quality Engineering
Hogeschool Drenthe / Kenniscentrum Drenthe
Dutch — Native
English — Fluent / full professional
German — Good working knowledge
Work with me
Tell me what needs attention and how your team works. We can explore whether my experience and way of working fit your organisation.