Vivienne de Leeuw: "I No Longer Need to Be One of the Guys"

What is your biggest dream?
Ultimately, for me, it’s all about making a societal impact. That’s what I find most important. And if I could dream freely, I would focus on creativity, truly creating something, and working with children and animals. I wouldn’t call my vision for the Port of Rotterdam a dream—it’s an ambition. By 2050, the port will be emissions-free. That’s what we’re working hard towards.

Isn’t 2050 a long way off? Many companies are aiming for 2030.
I understand why you’d say that, but in this infrastructure sector, everything takes longer. Getting approval to build something, setting up an electricity grid, ensuring offshore wind energy can be brought to land and used—it all takes time. You can’t just make that happen overnight. For us, 2030 is practically tomorrow, so we need to work hard on 2050 now. And we’re already doing a lot: for example, we offer discounts to ships that enter the port using green energy instead of fossil fuels. We also ask the companies that rent from us and operate on our land to become more sustainable. Our goal is for everything happening on our premises to be climate neutral. And the port is enormous—13% of all European energy flows through Rotterdam. That’s why we have a 2050 ambition.

How would you explain your job to a child?
I make sure there’s enough money to make the port completely sustainable and green. We have two public shareholders—the Dutch Ministry of Finance and the City of Rotterdam—and they fully support this ambition.

What do you do when your direction conflicts with that of others?
I listen. I always try to understand where the other person is coming from. Once you understand that, you can better assess whether you’re still on the right track yourself. Can I bring these ideas together? Otherwise, you’re just broadcasting your own perspective: "This is how it has to be, you just don’t get it." For me, listening is always key.

That said, to be honest, my direction rarely conflicts with others. Here, we all share a strong passion for the same goal: reducing CO₂ emissions to zero. Everyone is working toward that. The only real challenge we face is trying to do too much at once, which isn’t always feasible. When that happens, we, as the leadership team, have to intervene—making sure we finish one thing before moving on to the next.

Do people come to work here because of this ambition?
Yes, we see that very clearly. This region has relatively high emissions by Dutch standards. You could choose to see the industry here as "dirty" and not want to be involved, but this is exactly where you can make a difference. If you want to help reduce emissions in the Netherlands, this is the place to do it. That’s what attracts people. But they’re also drawn to our social commitment.

At our New Year’s reception, we announced that we would be sponsoring the Youth Education Fund—not just financially, but also by providing our own volunteers. We’re going to give guest lectures in schools, help out with the annual clean-up, assist with day trips—whatever is needed. Right away, people came up to us asking, "Where can I sign up?"

What achievement are you most proud of?
Last year, I won the CVO Award—Chief Value Officer of the Year. This award recognizes CFOs who don’t just focus on financial aspects but also consider the social impact of their decisions. This is something I’ve worked hard to implement here, together with my teams, and it has been recognized by the National Conference on Broad Prosperity. We’re also very vocal about how we’ve done it. As soon as we could, we applied for a green rating, which measures sustainability. We now factor sustainability into all our investment decisions. For example, we build a lot of docks. We’ve decided that we will only construct them using electric equipment and sustainable or recycled materials. That comes with a price tag, but we factor that into our decisions—it’s more expensive, but we still choose to do it.

What was the toughest decision you’ve ever had to make?
When I worked as a CFO in the TV and entertainment sector, it was clear from the start that we needed a new strategy and a different way of working. Fewer people were watching linear TV, and our revenues were dropping by double digits every quarter. We researched the best way to tackle this, developed a detailed plan, and adjusted the organization accordingly. But then, the CEO decided to implement only a quarter of the plan. At that point, I said, "I’m not going to do this, because it won’t work." That was a very difficult decision because I had only been there for a year, but I couldn’t stand behind it.

How do you make such a decision?
Again, by listening. I asked, "Why do you only want to implement a few parts?" We had created the plan together, so it felt strange. His response was, "My gut feeling tells me to do it this way." I’m the last person to say you shouldn’t listen to your gut, but in this case, I didn’t see that as a valid argument.

What personal trait would you like to get rid of?
I tend to feel insecure at times. Speaking in front of a group makes me nervous. You’d think that with my experience, I’d be over it by now—but I’d love to let go of that insecurity.

How do you work on that?
By doing it a lot. I push myself to say "yes" to as many speaking requests as possible. I could give one or two interviews or speak at conferences every week if I wanted. So, I try to do it as often as I can. I admire people who are naturally comfortable on stage—it’s something I aspire to.

Where and how do you come up with your best ideas?
While walking. It clears my head and helps me think creatively when I’m stuck. I usually do it alone, but sometimes I invite someone completely unrelated to the issue I’m dealing with. I’ll ask them, "When you hear this, what comes to mind?" The insights can be surprising. Walking through Katendrecht, for example, I often have those "Aha!" moments. The open space in my mind helps me break free from rigid thinking. In meetings, that kind of free-flowing thought process drives people crazy—but during a walk, it’s refreshing.

What’s the best leadership advice you’ve ever received?
To be myself. When I worked at KPN, then-CEO Ad Scheepbouwer told me this. I was much younger than my colleagues and asked him how I should handle it. He said, "Just be yourself. I hired you for a reason." That advice has stuck with me. My personal motto is: Always be a first version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else. If you try to imitate others, you lose authenticity—and with it, your impact.

Did you feel the need to "be one of the guys" at first?
In my first job at a consultancy firm, I definitely tried. Pinstripe suits, joining in at Friday night drinks—it was 25 years ago, a completely different time. Back then, secretaries would still get a pat on the behind. I disapprove of that, but that’s how things were. I was the first woman in that department, and it took them twelve interviews to hire me. I was even asked questions like, "What would you do if a client put his hand on your knee?" I saw colleagues change drastically when they moved up the ranks. They became harder, more authoritative: "I say it, so you must do it." When I left, I promised myself—I would never let that happen to me.