Rotterdam Chief Resilience Officer Arnoud Molenaar joining Square Floating City Company! Last month, my dear friend Arnoud Molenaar decided to move from public to private sector. After 30 years with Gemeente Rotterdam as Chief Resilience Officer and in other roles, now joining Square Floating City Company in Delft: developing feasible and livable floating solutions in urban climate adaptation! Thanks Arnoud for 20 years of collaboration in Rotterdam, and across the world, at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, with C40 Cities Connecting Delta Cities and Jeroen Aerts, with 100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, in New Orleans with Waggonner & Ball , Dale Morris and many other Dutch Dialogues partners, with Arcadis , in NYC with Rebuild by Design and our water hero Henk Ovink, and so many more. All the best in your new career!
Global Director Resilience and Partnerships - former Chief Resilience Officer at City of Rotterdam
NEW ADVENTURE! 👋 After more than 30 years, it’s time to say farewell to the City of Rotterdam and embark on a new adventure! As of November, I’ll be joining the Square Floating City company in Delft as Global Director Resilience and Partnerships. 🏙️Reflecting on my journey, I feel immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together. In my roles as Water Advisor, Deputy Head of Water Management, Manager of the Rotterdam Climate Proof program, and Chief Resilience Officer, I’ve had the privilege of working on water, climate adaptation, and resilience of the city of Rotterdam. It has been a mission to make Rotterdam more resilient and attractive, often pioneering new initiatives that brought many highlights; 💡From the first water plan and first water square to the first urban climate adaptation program (Rotterdam Climate Proof), the first floating pavilion, the initial Resilience Strategy, the first resilient neighborhood (BoTu2028), the largest floating office, the Global Center on Adaptation, and the initial steps with the "Toekomst InZicht" tool and many more. 👨It has been a fulfilling and inspiring personal journey as well; I entered as a water expert and leave as ‘Chief Resilience Officer, now with a comprehensive understanding of urban resilience, both physical and social. 🌍The need to work systematically on urban resilience grows more urgent each day. We’re in an era of constant change, sometimes accompanied by disruptions—extreme weather events, cyber threats, pandemics, geopolitical shifts, and more. Resilience is foundational and a meaningful goal for futureproof cities. 🌊Rotterdam’s knowledge and experiences have inspired other cities globally, from Ho Chi Minh City to LA and from New York to Surat. The Resilient Cities Network and the C40 Cities initiative have been strong partners in this journey. This work has also supported business development for Rotterdam-based companies and architecture firms, spurred numerous conferences, welcomed delegations, and garnered international recognition—from The New York Times to The Economist, and from The Guardian to CNN and National Geographic. 🙏I’m deeply grateful for the collaboration with and inspiration from so many colleagues in and outside the municipality, and the freedom we had to innovate. 👊Now the time has come to support other cities in the world with this practical knowhow on urban resilience, focussing on floating solutions! Gemeente Rotterdam Resilient Cities Network Resilient Delta Initiative Blue21 Rutger de Graaf #resilience #floating #climatechange #cities #climateadaptation #Botu
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Peter R.
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Piet Dircke so cool! What do you think his biggest challenge will be over the next 5 years?
Global Director Resilience and Partnerships - former Chief Resilience Officer at City of Rotterdam
2wPiet Dircke thank you for your kind words! 🙏We had quite a journey together, very inspiring, very impactful, and we are not finished yet!😊