About

Bernard van der Voort joined Royal Haskoning in 1997 during a time of significant growth, starting with 1,400 staff in 1997 to 3,500 in 2012. In that year Royal Haskoning and DHV merged to the largest Dutch engineering and consultancy firm, employing 7,000 staff having more than 35 operating companies worldwide and being active in more than 100 countries. Hired as the sole legal counsel at Royal Haskoning in 1997 and bringing over 20 years of experience in M&A, this role has been a true growing point for him, particularly in a company that was both growing strongly organically from 1997 to 2012 and which was significantly active in acquiring numerous smaller engineering and consultancy firms, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The merger between Royal Haskoning and DHV in 2012 provided him the opportunity to become the general counsel of a large Dutch corporation. Van der Voort has made intrinsic changes to the legal department, changing the management structure, explaining he was integral to ‘a vast transition from a reclusive, ivory tower-type department to an open and supportive department, with more than 15 senior lawyers, that technical and commercial colleagues do not want to work without’. This atmosphere has consequently led to a more agile and faster way of working in the organisation, while improving risk management and profitability for the business. The legal department is now actively involved in the development of IT related services, which are becoming increasingly important for the future of Royal HaskoningDHV’s business.