Last night, VANAD Group founder Ad Nederlof received the Lifetime Achievement Award,
presented at the annual Computable Awards, also known as “the Oscars of the ICT world”.
For the first time ever, the editors of Computable presented this special award at this year’s ceremony. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those individuals that have had a major impact and influence on the ICT sector. Ad Nederlof, with now more than 50 active years in the sector, was praised for his contribution to the ICT world, continuously pushing the boundaries. Ad Nederlof was, among other roles, vice president at Oracle, board director of Exact, and President & CEO of American software company Genesys, which was sold to Alcatel for $1.8 billion in 2000.
After operating for seven years in Silicon Valley (San Francisco), Ad Nederlof decided after five years as the CEO of Genesys and at the age of 57 to use his knowledge and experience to start his own companies, forming the VANAD Group. Since then, the VANAD Group continues as a fast-growing, internationally operating family business with over 1500 employees, delivering innovative business solutions in the area of software, information and communication technology.
“If you dedicate your entire life and career to progress within the ICT sector, then you are the right person to win the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ad Nederlof really stands out when you talk about icons in the ICT world,” said Rik Sanders of Computable, which this year presented the Computable Awards. Unlike the other awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award is determined by the readers, and given by the editors.
Ad Nederlof was honored and surprised to receive this award. “It is an honor to receive this prestigious award from the editors of Computable, a team of journalists who are on top of the news and are critical of everything going on in the field. I really appreciate that they want to put me in the spotlight in this way. I have watched the digitization of the world, in which the ICT sector has an essential role. But there are still quite a few steps to take. Digitalization offers enormous opportunities for the future and I remain happy to remain committed to that! ” said Nederlof. Above all, he urges everyone to think countercyclically, to continue thinking, and to continue where others give up – and to stay true to yourself. Nederlof sees work as a great pleasure and is far from planning to stop: “If I live and breathe I want to for ten more years!”.
About Ad Nederlof
Nederlof’s impressive IT career spans half a century and always took him a step higher to the senior executive level. In 1994, he co-founded industry organization Fenit, now called NLdigital.
In 2000, he became CEO of Genesys, a San Francisco-based vendor of contact center software. There he spearheaded a billion-dollar deal: the sale of Genesys to French telecom giant Alcatel for $1.8 billion. In 2005, Nederlof, at the age of 57, decided to go into business for himself. With his son Arthur Nederlof and his college friend Arnoud Munneke at the helm, the VANAD Group was founded. In order to focus more on customer experience, he sold member company Enovation, a healthcare ICT provider, in September 2018. In addition, Nederlof is Founder and Chairman of Unistone Real Estate and of the investment groups Addington and Corbulo Capital.
Ad Nederlof also has several books to his credit, including Customer Obsession, Stop Customer Frustration and Adtitude.
About the VANAD Group
VANAD Group is a fast-growing, internationally operating family company that delivers innovative business solutions in the areas of software, information and communications technology. Within the organization, a variety of internationally operating companies work closely together on one mission: adding value and competitive advantage in the area of customer experience, so that customers can differentiate themselves in their markets. For that purpose, the VANAD Group develops and uses creative and innovative technology. The company employs more than 1,500 people from all over the world. The following companies operate under the VANAD Group: VANAD Engage, Tangelo Software, Early Friday and QuandaGo.
