North Sea Port Supervisory Body appoints Cas König as the port authority's new CEO. König, who has extensive experience in sustainability and economics and is currently CEO of Groningen Seaports, will start work on 2 June.
Cas König has wide-ranging experience in international business and executive roles. He has a particular affinity for environmental issues and health & safety in relation to economic activities. His challenge lies primarily at the intersection of sustainability and economics. Before his appointment by North Sea Port, he was CEO at Groningen Seaports for more than seven years. Cas König succeeds previous CEO Daan Schalck.
The appointment of Cas König for six years marks the start of a new chapter for North Sea Port and the port community. North Sea Port is one of Europe's key ports, ranking ninth in the overall list. As a cross-border port formed on 1 January 2018, it stretches 60 kilometres from Vlissingen on the North Sea coast in the Netherlands, through Terneuzen, to Ghent in Belgium, 32 kilometres inland.
Cas König takes office at a time when ports are increasingly playing a societal as well as an economic role. Next to the port’s key role in greening industry and strengthening the logistics chain in Europe, König will also be focusing on the challenges of innovation, infrastructure development and international competition. In addition, cooperation with businesses and governments remains essential to the port's continued growth – regionally, nationally and internationally.
I have long admired how the merger between port of Ghent and Zeeland Seaports, comprising Vlissingen and Terneuzen, came about and evolved. As CEO of Groningen Seaports, I have got to know the Dutch-Flemish port up close. It is a great port with very diverse businesses – a thriving and exciting port with tremendous opportunities, but also enormous challenges. It is a great honour to be able to take this next step in my career. I look forward to quickly getting up to speed with customers, shareholders and everyone who is part of the port community. That includes those who live and work around the port. I currently live near the city of Groningen, but we‘ll start looking for a suitable house somewhere near the port as soon as possible."
Cas König shares the vision of the shareholders to maintain our focus on sustainability and economic development as a top European port, and to do so within a manageable financial framework," says Chair of the Supervisory Body Pieter van Geel. “Our international ambitions are key in that regard. North Sea Port wants to further strengthen its position in Europe, which is a big challenge within a changing geopolitical world.
Cas König will officially take up his position as CEO on 2 June 2025. He will work closely with the Supervisory Body, the board and all stakeholders to achieve North Sea Port's long-term ambitions. In doing so, he will be guided by a new strategic plan for North Sea Port, which will be in place by the end of the year. As the ninth-biggest seaport in Europe, North Sea Port provides 106,000 direct and indirect jobs. In terms of added value, the port is Europe's number three. The 550 companies in the port area generate prosperity in the region and contribute to economic and sustainable development in the Netherlands, Flanders, Belgium and Europe.
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