Lifetime of Achievement: Pieter Van Der Does
Pieter van der Does, born in 1969 in Amstelveen, Netherlands, is the Co-founder and CEO of Adyen, one of Europe's leading fintech companies. His education includes studies at multiple institutions between 1988 and 1995: Clark University, the University of Amsterdam and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University.
He completed his master's degree in economics from the University of Amsterdam, during which time he also pursued mountaineering activities.
His career began at ING Netherlands in 1995, where he worked as an operational manager. After one year, he transitioned to Elsevier. In 1999, Pieter established his first venture in the payments sector, co-founding Bibit Global Payment Services.
As Chief Commerce Officer at Bibit, he developed expertise in electronic payments processing. The company was subsequently acquired by Royal Bank of Scotland in 2004, with Pieter remaining on the board until 2006.
In 2006, Pieter and Arnout Schuijff launched Adyen, whose name derives from Surinamese for "start over again." The company was established to provide electronic payment processing services for online retailers.
Since 2007, Adyen has maintained consistent double-digit annual growth. The company developed a significant client portfolio including major technology companies such as Spotify, Facebook, Netflix and eBay.
A key milestone in Adyen's development came with its June 2018 initial public offering, resulting in a company valuation of €13.4bn (US$15.8bn). Pieter retained a 3% ownership stake following the IPO.
This stake contributed to his inclusion in the Forbes Billionaire list in 2020, with his net worth estimated at US$1.8bn as of September 2024.
Under Pieter's tenure as CEO, Adyen has established a network of offices globally. The company's operational scale has grown significantly, with annual transaction processing volumes exceeding US$900bn as of 2024.
The company has expanded its service offerings beyond core payment processing, developing additional financial technology solutions for its client base.
Organisational developments over the years include the appointment of Ingo Uytdehaage as co-CEO, which initiated a dual leadership structure to manage the company's continued growth.
The company's global operations are supported by a workforce comprising employees from approximately 115 nationalities. This international staff composition aligns with Adyen's multinational client base and operational requirements across various markets.
In addition to his primary role at Adyen, Pieter maintains a position on the Supervisory Board of Écart. He continues to be based in Amsterdam, where he resides with his wife and two children - a son and a daughter.
Pieter's professional trajectory from traditional banking to financial technology leadership corresponds with significant changes in the payments industry between 2000 and 2024.
His development of Adyen from a startup to a global payment processor has contributed substantially to Amsterdam's position as a European financial technology centre.
Throughout his tenure at Adyen, Pieter has overseen several significant achievements: the successful negotiation of major corporate partnerships, consistent company growth since its founding, expansion to multiple global offices and the development of advanced payment processing infrastructure.
The company's evolution under his leadership has included the strategic implementation of new financial services and technological solutions, positioning Adyen as a key infrastructure provider in the digital commerce sector.
The combination of strategic growth, technological development and operational expansion during Pieter's leadership has established him as a significant figure in the European fintech sector.
Through sustained focus on innovation and market expansion, Adyen has become a fundamental component of global digital payment infrastructure, processing transactions for many of the world's leading technology and retail companies.
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