Ballast Nedam director Bramske van Beijma joins the Board of Management of parent company Rönesans Holding

What will you be doing in your new role?
"In the first few months, I will primarily focus on sharing knowledge and exchanging experiences, such as investment opportunities, certifications, and the smart utilisation of wind and solar energy. There are many interesting differences between Turkey and the Netherlands, allowing me to inspire my Turkish colleagues to think differently thanks to my Dutch knowledge. In fact, in this role, I can build a bridge between the two cultures and the different ways of working. Furthermore, as a people manager, I also like to focus on the human side. After all, it's not just about facts and figures. It's more than that."

Where do you see the biggest opportunities for sustainability at Rönesans Holding?
"At the moment, the biggest opportunities lie in the energy transition in which Rönesans has already taken significant steps. In July 2023, Rönesans entered into a partnership with TotalEnergies to scale up its activities in green energy. Now that TotalEnergies owns 50% of the shares in Rönesans Enerji, green energy projects will increase rapidly. Also with the effects of climate change, clean water projects are becoming very important. I will be taking these initiatives even further."

What are the differences in sustainability between Turkey and the Netherlands?
"In the Netherlands, we have the Climate Agreement as a response to the Paris Agreement, and we have the European Climate Law since this year. This sets the bar even higher, aiming to reduce 55% of our CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Turkey ratified the Paris Agreement in 2021, putting sustainability high on the agenda. However, differences are noticeable. For example, in Turkey, solar panels and electric cars are less common. At the same time, this also offers many opportunities. It is interesting to learn from each other, for example in the field of energy transition. The commitment is there, so things can move fast."

What is your long-term vision?
"Ultimately, my ambition is to contribute to a greener company with more projects in the energy transition, focusing on wind, solar and hydrogen projects as well as focusing on clean water projects which are becoming more important with climate change effects all around the world."

In addition to your new role, you will continue your current responsibilities as Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Director of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Ballast Nedam. This means that you are responsible for sustainability within Ballast Nedam. What's on your agenda in the Netherlands?
"That's quite a list. At Ballast Nedam, we continue to invest in reducing our emissions by acquiring more electric construction equipment, company vehicles, and lease cars. This will lead us to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2030. This year, we already have two fully carbon-neutral construction sites in our portfolio, and we are also working towards energy neutrality by generating our own solar and wind energy. Currently, we are sending this self-generated energy to other Ballast Nedam locations through a Virtual Power Plant. We plan to expand this while generating more of our own energy to power our electric construction equipment and more.

We are also actively promoting the use of biobased materials to improve the environmental performance of buildings and provide evidence of our sustainability efforts. By focusing on designs and constructions that are easily disassembled and adapted, and by using as many recycled materials as possible, we aim to minimize the use of new raw materials. When new raw materials are needed, the goal for them is to be as biobased and non-toxic as possible.

In short, there's a lot to do. My position on the Board of Management of Rönesans Holding makes me proud. I'm ready to roll up my sleeves so that both Rönesans and Ballast Nedam can continue to take sustainable steps forward. Being prepared for the future is our shared goal."

→ Read more in the official press release of Rönesans Holding.