Jacqueline saying farewell

Four years ago, I embarked on a great adventure when I was appointed as the director of Nexstep on February 1st, 2018. I was so proud to be able to help set up this beautiful organisation.

The first few months were like a huge roller coaster for me. I was new to this world, and it took me some time to master the vocabulary. I spent a lot of time drinking cups of coffee getting to know a lot of people, working with the teams to shape the action agendas, and getting my HUET in between jobs so I could also visit an offshore platform. In the summer, we worked with the teams to shape our cost reduction strategy. This is how “The Road to 30%” was created, with four roadmaps that we are still working on today.

For me, it was very important to get to know the members of the ExCom personally. I asked if they could show me something that they were proud of. What beautiful experiences I have had! My first offshore trip to the de Ruyter platform, a tour of the gas storage facility in the Bergermeer, digital twins, visiting a remote-control room, checking out wells in Middenmeer that could perhaps be eligible for geothermal energy… It was a fantastic introduction.

From those conversations I also learned where Nexstep could really make a difference. It quickly became clear that it was important to work together to achieve this huge task. This became the guiding principle for our activities within Nexstep. And we have worked together in many ways: in the shared learning sessions, in the peer assists, in the cooperation with the heavy lifters which led to the portal, in the joint trials, in the joint search for the hydrogen pilot, in the collaboration with NOGAT and NGT for the comparative assessment, and of course the joint campaign.

For me personally, the icing on the cake was to successfully launch the joint campaign. Finally, in January, the contract was signed, and the first joint campaign was a fact. I used the Christmas break this year to reflect on the past years and look ahead to the future. My personal goal was achieved (with the cooperation of many people, whom I thank immensely for all their efforts). The organisation of Nexstep had been established, the period of development was over, and now it was time to consolidate and professionalise. This requires a different way of leadership, and in close consultation with the Supervisory Board I concluded that it is time for me to hand over the reins to a successor who can lead Nexstep successfully through the next phase. I will say goodbye, but not just yet. I would like to leave my baby (because that is how it feels) to my successor in the best possible way, but it will take time to find her or him, hence this early announcement. At the beginning of July, we will be handing out our fifth Re-use and Decommissioning report and that will be my last assignment for Nexstep. Until then, you can count on me to continue working for Nexstep with my usual commitment and enthusiasm. I am proud of everything I have been able to achieve together with you over the past years. I am sure that in the coming years, there will be many more great projects and I will continue to follow Nexstep, as it has a special place in my heart. For now, I will be here, so you do not have to say goodbye yet. Later this year there will be an opportunity to do so.

I would like to thank all of you for joining me on this wonderful journey!

Jacqueline