At least 12 people live in the Netherlands and can call themselves a billionaire. Earlier, we took a look at the five richest people in the country, so of course we already know number one, but now we’re happy to list all 12 billionaires for you.
12- Job van den Ende – 1.1 billion euros
Johannes Adrianus (Jopp) van den Ende was born on February 23, 1942 in the capital, Amsterdam. He trained as a carpenter and technical draftsman, but would later make a living in show business. The guy became known, among other things, thanks to his successful TV series The Adventures of Basie and Adrian.
In 1994 he began working with his biggest competitor John de Mol, after which they acquired the company Endemol was established. A few years later, this company went public. However, in 1999 his health deteriorated, so in 2000 he sold his 26% stake and decided to continue working as a music producer. He has like musicals Wiz, The Lion King, Tarzan, Cesc de Rat, Dirty Dancing, Mary Poppins and much more.
His successful career has ensured that Van den Ende has a capital of more than €1.1 billion.
11- Sytse Sijbrandij – 1.1 billion euros
Sytse Sijbrandij is currently one of the highest paid CEOs in the United States. In 2015, the guy founded GitLab, a software company where programmers work together to build mobile applications or computer programs in the same environment. NASA and SpaceX, among others, use this software.
Early in his career, Sibrandij says he didn’t want to work with investors. He wants to run a “normal IT company”. But his plans soon change because talented programmers, marketers and managers don’t want to work with him. It is typical in Silicon Valley for startup employees to receive options packages, because they can later make a lot of money on these stocks. In the end, the Dutchman decided to go with the investors after all. And that worked out quite well. At the moment, his capital is no less than 1.1 billion euros.
10- Kummer Damen – 1.56 billion euros
Kummer Damen was born on March 30, 1944 in Hardinksfeld Jessendam (South Holland). He lived with his parents in a shipyard and built boats with his father from an early age. He eventually became the owner of his family’s company, Damen Shipyards Group, which is now one of the largest shipbuilders in the world. This man was eventually given a capital of 1.56 billion euros.
9- Leslie Bamberger – 1.56 billion euros
Leslie Bamberger is a Dutch billionaire businessman. In 1996 he took over Kroonenberg Groep, a private real estate company founded by his grandfather, which he had already joined 10 years earlier. Kroonenberg Groep is one of the largest real estate developers in the Netherlands. So it is not surprising that Bamberger was able to earn a fabulous capital of € 1.56 billion as a result.
8- Peter van der Dross – 1.65 billion euros
Not much is known about the man behind the name, except that Peter van der Dross is the co-founder of Adyen. Adyen is a payment platform that “meets the ever-changing needs of today’s business world,” according to Adyen’s website. The company was founded in 2006 and has since grown into a multi-billion dollar business. This is why Pieter van der Droes can now join the billionaires of the Netherlands and have a minimum capital of €1.65 billion.
7. Adriaan Mol – 1.65 billion euros
Adriaan Mol was born on March 14, 1984 in Breda. From an early age, Moll wanted to be an inventor, which is why he decided to throw himself into the world of entrepreneurship after high school. In 2004 he founded payment service provider Mollie and in 2011 telecom company MessageBird followed. Thanks to these successful businesses, the 39-year-old quickly became a billionaire. Mol currently has approximately €1.65 billion at his disposal.
6- John de Mol – 1.65 billion euros
A name we all know. Johannes Hendrikus Huppert, or better known as John de Mol, is a Dutch media mogul, entrepreneur, and television producer. His previous dream was to become a professional soccer player, but he did not succeed. But this did not make the guy less successful. Thanks to his father’s interest in entertainment, John de Mol entered this world himself.
Over the years, de Mol became increasingly known for his work, even starting his own production company in 1979: John de Mol Productions. This too quickly took off. In 1989 he founded the company with Joop van den Ende Endemol up, which remains a huge company to this day, despite its sale in 2000 for 5.5 billion euros.
The media mogul is now known as the founder of the Talpa Network, with huge productions being churned out all the time. Even after one of his major shows, “The Voice of Holland,” gets a less flattering light, John de Mol remains a hugely successful entrepreneur. His net worth is currently 1.65 billion euros.
5. Arnout Schuijff – €2.2 billion
Arnout Schuijff is the co-founder of Adyen, as well as number eight on this list, Pieter van der Droes. Not much can be found on the internet about Schuijff either, except that his assets currently amount to no less than 2.2 billion euros thanks to the successful company.
4- Hans Melchers – 2.4 billion euros
Hans Daniel Melchers was born on April 28, 1938 in Bloemendaal. In the 1960s he took over the management of his father’s chemical company: Melchemistry. In 2002 he sold this for a huge amount, after which he was able to acquire a stake in the Amsterdam investment company HAL Trust. Known as Holland-Amerika Lijn, the company has been around since 1873.
At the age of 85, Hans Melchers has managed to save quite a fortune: he owns about 2.4 billion euros.
3- Wim van der Ligt – 3.2 billion euros
Wilhelmus Gerardus Stephanus Maria van der Leegte was born on August 23, 1947 in Nuenen. After his studies, Van der Leegte had to take over his father’s metal and masonry workshop after the man’s health declined. A few years later, he also acquired his father’s shares. The company continues to grow, mainly through the acquisition of other companies. This organic growth and acquisitions led to the creation of VDL Groep, in which Wim and his children still own all shares. That is why the man now also has a capital of at least 3.2 billion euros.
2- Frits Goldschmeding – 5.7 billion euros
The owner of Randstad Holding also returns to this list. Goldschmeding was previously the third richest among the Dutch, but now it is in second place. In 1960, the man founded Uitzendbureau Amstelveen, which after years of growth got a different name: Randstad. Goldschmeding still owns at least 30% of the shares. With €5.7 billion to his name, the man certainly knows how to enjoy a nice pension.
1. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken – 13.5 billion euros
Of course Ms. Di Carvalho-Heineken managed to take first place again. As a director and major shareholder of the beer company, she has huge amounts on her hands. Despite minor setbacks last year, the woman managed to add no less than 13.5 billion euros to her assets.
