The award, named after Freddy Heineken, honors an entrepreneur who has made a substantial and positive impact to the economic ties between the Netherlands and the United States. Heine will receive the award as part of the Netherland-America Foundation’s annual Ambassadors’ Awards ceremony.

Fugro, a Dutch multinational company specializing in Geo-data acquisition, is a pioneer in mapping, modelling, and monitoring the Earth’s surface and subsurface. The company, headquartered in Leidschendam, is guided by a mission to utilize Geo-data to reduce uncertainty and risks in the built and natural environment to create a safer and more livable world.

As CEO, and Chairman of the Board, Heine leads Fugro’s more than 11,000 employees in 52 countries. With 17 locations in the States, Fugro’s footprint in the US extends from the East Coast to the West Coast with offices in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and California. This year alone, Fugro is working to detail the geophysical and geotechnical conditions for the planned construction of twin small modular reactors for an existing nuclear power plant in Michigan. In Florida, Fugro is working with the Department of Environmental  Protection on the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative to map the state’s seafloor to improve coastal  resilience, infrastructure planning, and environmental protection.

Media are invited to cover the award ceremony and interview Mr. Heine. Media must RSVP to was-ppc@minbuza.nl by 12 p.m. on May 13 to cover the event.