Born to wonderful parents in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 1964. Happy youth, despite my stutter. Obtained a master's degree in History from Leiden University in 1993. Worked in various communications roles at Robeco, an investment management firm for 21 years. Met my beautiful wife, Padma in 2012, on the last day of a Vipassana meditation course. Got married in Minuta, Italy in 2015. Our daughter, Zoë, was born in August 2018, four months before we packed all our belongings and moved to Padma's home country, Australia, with the dream to start a vegan food services business. In October 2021 we launched Australia's first health-focused, 100% plant-powered meal-kit subscription service, Just Add Vegan. In November 2023 we launched two other vegan businesses, Feelyoucan Catering and Feelyoucan Takeaway.