Jaap Bierman to be EBN's new CEO as of March 1, 2026

Jaap Bierman (55) has been appointed by the Minister of Climate and Green Growth as the new CEO of Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN). The appointment, effective March 1, 2026, is for a four-year term. Bierman is currently CEO of the Haagsche Tram Maatschappij (HTM) transport company in The Hague and surrounding areas. He succeeds Jan Willem van Hoogstraten, who is stepping down after ten years due to the end of his maximum (third) term as CEO of EBN.

Jaap Bierman is a mechanical engineer (Delft University of Technology) and obtained his MBA from INSEAD. His career included positions at McKinsey (from 1997 to 2003 as a strategic consultant, primarily in the energy sector) and subsequently at Shell, where he held various positions. In Japan, for example, he was responsible for all solar energy activities, and in Singapore, he led projects for CO2 solutions (including CCS). Since 2014, Bierman has been CEO of the HTM public transport company in the The Hague region, which carries approximately 300,000 passengers daily. Under his leadership, HTM has realized major, capital-intensive investments (new trams, buses, depots, and infrastructure) and further developed its organizational, innovation, and stakeholder relationships. He has given a significant impetus to the implementation of the energy transition in the mobility sector by becoming the first urban transport company in the Netherlands to electrify its entire bus fleet.

Frits Eulderink, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of EBN: “Jan Willem van Hoogstraten has been invaluable to EBN over the past decade and in the organization's development into a key player in safeguarding energy security and accelerating sustainability. In Jaap Bierman, we have found an exceptionally suitable successor. He has an enormous drive to further shape the societal challenge of the energy transition. With his knowledge, experience, and capabilities, he is perfectly suited to lead EBN's strategic development and the further fulfillment of our role as a public energy company of and for the Netherlands.”

Jaap Bierman: “I am ambitious and highly motivated to make a vital contribution, together with colleagues and partners, to the Dutch energy system and its transition. Our societal mission requires a combination of utilizing our remaining gas reserves in the North Sea and securing sufficient supplies, as well as implementing CO2 transport and storage and developing the heating chain. Above all, we remain fully committed to a fully sustainable energy system. As CEO of EBN, I believe it would be meaningful and extremely exciting to make a significant contribution to this.”

The appointment of Jaap Bierman was made on the recommendation of the EBN Supervisory Board and after positive advice from the Works Council.