Paul Vonk is part of the leadership team at Tata Steel Netherlands, working towards the company's goal of being CO₂ neutral before 2045 and reducing CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030. He is responsible for sourcing the natural gas alternatives — CCS, biomethane and hydrogen — that will allow Tata Steel Netherlands to produce clean, green and circular steel.
His career began as an engineer in the upstream oil and gas industry in North Africa, before a transition to investment banking in London. At Nomura and ABN AMRO, he managed M&A, complex debt and equity transactions for energy industry clients. He then led a listed energy exploration company before joining Tata Steel Netherlands.
Paul holds an MBA from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Mining and Petroleum Engineering from Delft University of Technology. He brings the rare combination of engineering depth, financial structuring experience and industrial leadership to one of the most complex decarbonisation challenges in European industry.
The conversation about green industry often defaults to the electricity grid. But powering a green steel plant requires far more than a stable connection — it demands an integrated energy mix of electricity, hydrogen, biomethane, storage and flexible infrastructure, all assembled under financial and regulatory constraints that don't yet exist in their final form.
This session puts that challenge directly in your hands. In small groups, participants make choices within a fictional energy and infrastructure budget: what sources do you prioritise, what trade-offs do you accept, and which party has to move first?
There is no single right answer. That is precisely the point. The session makes visible what green industry actually requires — and why the decisions being made right now in boardrooms and policy chambers will determine whether the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area becomes a leader or a bystander in the industrial energy transition.
Tickets give you full-day access to all sessions, workshops and networking.