I studied Sociology and Communication Sciences at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. I obtained my PhD in Social Sciences in January 2011. Since then, I worked as a researcher as well as a teacher at multiple universities.
Since the beginning of Yoast, I have been involved in the company. But, as of September 2013, I gave up my position at the university and decided to focus solely on my activities at Yoast. In 2015, I founded Yoast academy, our online SEO learning platform. I’ve also been the CEO of Yoast from January 2019 until November 2021.
Nowadays, I’m the head of strategy. In this role, I make sure that all the amazing ideas we have are aligned, we keep on track with our goals, and quickly adapt to changes within the ecosystems we operate in.
I’m married to Joost de Valk and we have four amazing children together.