Introducing: Martin de Koning, Movares (MUG)

Can you talk briefly about yourself and your role as a project manager?

I am Martin de Koning, since September 2024 active at the former MUG, now Movares, as project manager and at the end of last year also involved in the tender for the VBK projects. Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier is not an unknown party to me, in my employment past I have regularly had the water board as a client in various roles with various employers. These were always interesting projects with regional impact and that attracts me. All the more reason for me to make an active contribution in my new role. The motivation is multiple, I am a true North Hollander and enjoy the polder landscape as we know it. HHNK also plays an important role in this, it is incredibly cool to be involved with your living environment in this way and to be able to guarantee safety and the future. 

What motivates you most in your work as a project manager?

Working with a common interest through honest and quality work, a practical approach and a good and safe result. That the approach at HHNK is also practical and execution-oriented also excites me. With a background in contracting, I am an advocate of working effectively. We are still searching for that balance, but will soon find it within the CBK program.

What project are you currently working on and who are you working with in it?

We are now active on Schagerkogge, the polder east of Schagen and north of Kolhorn. In this, Thomas is the project leader from HHNK and Esmee is the counterpart of Steven Lenten who jointly take up the environmental issue.

Do you have a tip or best practice you would like to share with fellow project leaders?

Always also try to put yourself in the shoes of all stakeholders within a project, location or bottleneck. A bit of empathy to understand the different interests and to look together for the similarities and where you can find each other, that is in my opinion the core of cooperation. And here also definitely applies: alone you may go faster, but together you get much further.

What appeals to you about working for HHNK?

The local involvement, working with water and looking to the future. For me, it's those three aspects that make the projects fun.