Ballast Nedam appoints Kemal Sağlam and Ton Vaags as members of the Board of Management

As of 1 April, Ballast Nedam has added two new board members within a month. This is in line with Ballast Nedam's chosen strategy: focus on people and strong leadership. Mr. Kemal Sağlam (Turkey, 1978) has been working at Ballast Nedam as Chief Executive Officer of the Construction division since 1 September 2019. Mr. Ton Vaags (Netherlands, 1961) is new to Ballast Nedam, but a well-known name in the construction and real estate industry. He previously worked for several other large construction and real estate companies. With the appointment of both gentlemen, the total number of board members comes to seven.

The appointment of strong leaders in responsible positions has been a reoccurring theme in the organisation in recent years. The restructuring and reorganisation have resulted in Ballast Nedam being healthy, result-oriented and entrepreneurial with highly qualified, experienced and motivated employees. Many opportunities are offered to ambitious people who like a challenge in an innovative environment. "I strongly believe in focusing on people with the right talent and the right attitude, who have brought us where we are today", said Erman Ilıcak, President and founder of parent company Rönesans Holding.

Sağlam is responsible for the operations of all the business units, the organisation of departments as well as the establishment of new markets within the Ballast Nedam Construction division, which comprises Ballast Nedam's construction and infrastructure activities. He joined Rönesans Holding in 2008 and worked in various positions until 2013. After that, he held positions within Rönesans Energy and within several departments at the headquarters of Rönesans Holding in Turkey. Before his appointment at Ballast Nedam, he was CEO and board member of Rönesans Healthcare Facilities Management Company and board member of Heitkamp Ingenieur und Kraftwerksbau GmbH. On 2 March he was appointed as member of the Board of Management of Ballast Nedam N.V.

Within the Board of Management, Vaags will be responsible for the business units Ballast Nedam Building Projects and Ballast Nedam Zuid. He was attracted because of his wealth of management experience and knowledge of the Dutch construction and real estate market. His last position was CEO of J.P. van Eesteren B.V. and member of the Board of Directors of TBI Holdings B.V. In addition, Vaags was also a board member at Synchroon B.V. Moreover, he held various general management positions at Heijmans N.V. and Koninklijke BAM Groep N.V. He was appointed as a member of the Board of Management of Ballast Nedam N.V. as of 1 April.  

With the enhancement by the two additional board members, Ballast Nedam expects to be able to grow further. This is despite the very complex market circumstances we are facing now, but with the help of our main strength: our committed people.