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Top 10 CEOs in the Netherlands
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Top 10 CEOs in the Netherlands

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© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Jun 22, 2018
Mina Solanki
Completed her Master's degree at the University of Groningen and worked as a translator before joining IamExpat. She loves to read and has a particular interest in Greek mythology. In addition to this, she is an avid rower.Read more

For those working in the Netherlands, there are plenty of international companies, along with Dutch companies, which receive high levels of praise from their employees when it comes to their CEO, the work culture, their job and employer. However, according to new research by Glassdoor, there are 10 companies in the Netherlands which stand out in terms of their CEO.

CEO research in the Netherlands

In order to reach a top 10 of CEOs in the Netherlands, Glassdoor utilised reviews given by employees, which covered a number of factors in relation to their work experience, including their attitude towards the leadership of their CEO. Employees rating their CEO on Glassdoor were also asked to indicate whether they approve, disapprove or remain neutral concerning the performance of their CEO.

The businesses that make up the top 10 in the Netherlands received at least 40 reviews from employees before May 17, 2018. According to research from Glassdoor Economic Research, there is a connection between highly regarded CEOs and good company culture. There is also a strong link between the approval of a CEO and the financial performance of a business.

Top 10 CEOs in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, according to the Glassdoor research, the top 10 CEOs, along with the companies they belong to are as follows:

  1. KLM – Pieter Elbers
  2. TOPdesk – Wolter Smit
  3. TravelBird – Steven Klooster
  4. Cisco Systems – Chuck Robbins
  5. NIKE – Mark G. Parker
  6. Heineken – Jean-François van Boxmeer
  7. Microsoft – Satya Nadella
  8. HEMA – Tjeerd Jegen
  9. Coolblue – Pieter Zwart
  10. Unilever – Paul Polman

Of the top 10, KLM, TOPdesk and TravelBird all had a 100% approval rate. Cisco Systems and NIKE followed with 99%, Heineken with 98% and Microsoft and HEMA with 97%. Coolblue received a 96% approval rating and Unilever, at number 10, achieved a 95% approval rate.

Have you worked at one of these companies? Do you agree with this ranking? Let us know in the comments!

By Mina Solanki