André Pluimers
“Twente has an exceptionally strong and diverse business community. Solid family-owned companies stand alongside innovative startups. Traditional sectors like construction, logistics, and tourism exist alongside high-tech manufacturing. This foundation, combined with our advantageous location, beautiful environment, and strong sense of community, provides Twente with excellent opportunities to further enhance broad prosperity.”
As a board member, André Pluimers represents the Twente entrepreneurs. He values taking action, staying pragmatic, and aims to align his role as a board member with the needs of local businesses. “I care deeply about Twente, so I’m willing to invest a lot of time and energy into making a difference,” he says. “As the Twente Board, we have the potential to really make an impact, so I’m quite proud of my role on the board.” André views the Twente Board as a kind of auxiliary engine that can address issues others haven’t tackled yet. “Companies have their own plans and investments,” he explains. “Our role is to pick up on things that aren’t happening yet. To do this, we need to engage in discussions with businesses to uncover what is already happening and what they need.”
Challenges
Looking to the future, we face a number of significant challenges. “Energy is one of them, and we have included this in our strategy. Other issues that are particularly important to me are practical concerns like business space, accessibility, and student housing.”
Gross Twente Happiness
While the Twente Board initially focused primarily on economic growth, the emphasis has since shifted. “It’s no longer solely about economic growth; we need to take a broader perspective,” he believes. “The business community plays a key role in this. We need to shift from quantity to quality. In the past, it was mainly about euros and percentages, but that can’t come at the cost of environmental damage, stress, and landscape degradation. This risk exists not only here but globally. When looking at Twente, it’s clear that our region is beautiful—beautiful to live in, to work in, and it also has a rich culture. Nothing should come at the expense of that. With Gross Twente Happiness, we choose to pursue an economy within certain boundaries.”
Additional Roles | André Pluimers
- Managing Director, Bolk Transport BV
- Chair, Port of Twente
- Board Member, Stichting Ondernemend Twente
- Member, Regional Board VNO-NCW
LinkedIn André Pluimers