Rinze Spaanstra joined Pondera as Senior Contract Manager in May 2023. In the past 25 years in the steel industry, Rinze has been involved in customer and market development, preparation and follow-up of project offers, contractual matters, claim resolution, project management and related services. Customer satisfaction is a high priority for him.
Rinze’s clients initially mainly originated from the oil and gas industry. In the last 10 years, the offshore wind industry was added to his portfolio where he was able to follow the broader energy transition. This has brought him to Pondera where he can utilize his experience and knowledge in the sustainability sector. .
Education and previous employers
Rinze completed his studies Business Administration and Dutch Law at Erasmus University in Rotterdam in 1990.
After his military service in the Royal Air Force, he started working for Centramin BV, an international textile agent, where Rinze was responsible for sales in the Northern English market. In 1996, Rinze made the move to ArcelorMittal Projects in Rotterdam, where he was active on the dividing line of business development and sales. Besides preparing and following up project offers for oil and gas customers in Europe, he developed the Houston and Baku customer areas.
This was followed in 2010 by a move to German steel pipe manufacturer EEW, for which Rinze set up the offshore wind business in the Netherlands. As a supplier of steel tubes for foundations and offshore transformation platforms, he has been involved in a large number of European offshore wind projects. In 2022, Rinze conducted research for ArcelorMittal Energy Projects on the U.S. offshore wind market.
