Van der Valk Shipyard has appointed Evan Kortmann as Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Enrico Theuns, who has led the Waalwijk yard since 2023 through organizational development, growth and an ownership transition.

The context matters more than the names. Theuns was appointed to steer a planned three year transition following the retirement of founder Wim van der Valk, completed in April 2024. He has now finished the assignment he was hired for. This is a succession that ran to plan, which in a family owned yard is rarer than it should be.

What Theuns leaves behind

During his tenure the yard strengthened its position in the international superyacht market and pushed into the 30 meter plus segment, delivering LALABE, Jangada and Shine.

He also oversaw the ownership transition that followed Wim van der Valk's retirement, and prepared the company for its next phase. He remains involved for the coming months to support the handover.

What Kortmann inherits

Kortmann joins a management team that already includes Technical Director Bram Kooltjes and Commercial Director Yoeri Bijker. His stated focus is the position the yard has carved out for itself: fully custom yachts between 200 and 500 GT.

That number, not the meters, is the strategic statement. Between 200 and 500 GT is the band where a client can still have a genuinely bespoke yacht without crossing into the regulatory and crewing complexity of the large superyacht world. It is a defensible niche, and Van der Valk is signalling it intends to stay in it rather than chase length.