My Story
"I was overwhelmed, anxious, and I thought working harder would solve my problems."
Greg led five global brands — Mammut, Cotswold Outdoor Group, Bever — as CEO and Chairman. Thousands of people. Hundreds of millions in revenue. He thought the answer to every challenge was the same: work harder, push longer, be tougher.
Cho Oyu at 8,201 metres — first attempt failed, 200 metres from the top. Too slow. Climbing partner injured. Broken rib. He went back alone. Summited. Skied down. Became Dutch ski touring champion. Ran UTMB Mallorca — 142km, 21 hours of running.
The mountains taught him something the boardroom never could: you cannot summit by force.
"Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's action in the face of it."
His twins were born at 28 weeks. 850 grams each. Over a year in intensive care. His wife seriously ill. Three children at home, two in hospital. Greg stopped working for two years.
It was the hardest period of his life — and the most important lesson he ever learned.
"When you've nearly lost what you love most, you stop wasting energy on things that don't matter."
When Greg returned to work, AI had changed everything. He was terrified. Overwhelmed. But then he realised: this technology could give people their lives back. Not more work — better work. Not replacing humans — empowering them.
"I learned the hard way that more work is not the answer. Better work is."
Chairman of Nodor International. Senior Partner at WAIMAKERS. Over 100 companies transformed. He speaks because the real barrier to AI is never the technology — it's the people. And people change when they feel safe enough to try.
Father of five. Lives between the Netherlands and the UK. Still runs up mountains. Still thinks AI is 80% about people.
"AI is 80% people. 20% technology."
Most companies get it backwards. They invest in tools and platforms before investing in the people who use them. Greg leads with the human side — because that's where transformation actually happens.