Meeting the ambition to be energy neutral, with Peter Verlaan, CEO, Aa en Maas, The Netherlands

In this episode of the Exec Exchange 15-minute podcast, host Piers Clark interviews Peter Verlaan, Chief Executive at Aa en Masse in the Netherlands. They discuss Peter's engineering background, the structure and responsibilities of Dutch Water Authorities, and the region Aa en Masse covers. Peter elaborates on their ambitious goal to achieve energy self-sufficiency through innovative techniques like anaerobic digestion and the recovery of resources such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and cellulose from wastewater. The episode also touches on environmental issues like medicine residue and PFAS in surface water, and Peter's leadership experience over the past year. The conversation concludes with Peter sharing invaluable life lessons he learned from his parents.

00:00 Introduction to the Exec Exchange Podcast
00:20 Meet Peter Valland: Background and Role
00:48 Understanding the Water Authority
01:39 Ambition for Energy Self-Sufficiency
03:21 Innovative Techniques in Energy Production
07:35 Resource Recovery and Environmental Impact
08:43 Peter's Leadership Journey
09:21 Personal Reflections and Closing