FEATURED IN FBNED — 10 QUESTIONS WITH RUUD MUIS
Ruud Muis
“As a service company, you’ve got to keep raising the bar”
Ruud Muis | AEGIR-Marine is an independent service provider for marine propulsion systems. Over the past 25 years, the company has grown into an international family business with 240 professionals of 29 nationalities. Ruud Muis (58) is the founder and non-executive director: “Besides our head office in Wijk bij Duurstede here in the Netherlands, we have regional offices in Singapore, Dubai and Panama City, plus several service stations in other countries. We serve clients in over 70 countries and work at shipyards around the globe.”
TEXT Esther Smid | PHOTOGRAPHY Frans Jan Fortunati
1. When did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
“My parents grew up in small-business families during the crisis and war years, so they knew how stressful entrepreneurship can be. They advised me to get a good education and get a job. I first worked at sea, and later for a maritime company. When that company was sold to a private equity firm, the dynamics changed, and so did its success. I moved on, but more and more former clients asked me and my former colleague Hans Dekker to start our own business. They were dissatisfied with the service. So Hans and I started out in an attic room – and that’s when I discovered how much I actually enjoy being an entrepreneur! I probably got the entrepreneurial spirit from my grandfather; he was a milkman in Utrecht.”
2. Why did you opt for a one-tier board structure?
“My business partner and I used to be the executive directors. Hans had always said he would retire at 55, and in 2018, he did. I didn’t want to run the business on my own, and I also felt the company had grown too much to rely on just one person. I didn’t like the idea of a traditional supervisory board either – getting briefed once a quarter just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to stay involved in a meaningful way. The one-tier board model allows that. I’m still very happy with the choice. I’m a bit more distanced from day-to-day operations now. My role is mainly about safeguarding the long-term vision and company culture.”
3. Is the second generation active in the family business?
“Our three children want to become the next generation of owners. All three are now working in the company. My son Thom (30) and daughter Femke (27) are running the startup ATLA Propulsion Controls, the electronics variant of AEGIR. It’s one of our satellite companies, with AEGIR-Marine as the majority shareholder. My youngest son Benjamin (25) joined the company this year as an international service engineer.
He loves to tinker and travel the world. The three of them are working with an external coach to prepare for possible next steps. Future ownership doesn’t automatically mean they’ll run the company, especially now that the management is well in place. My children bring ambition and energy; I bring experience. We need to connect those elements in the coming years. It’s wonderful to see the next generation walk through the company full of enthusiasm. I feel very proud – but also a little worried; I know what it takes. And the world isn’t exactly stable these days…”
4. What has been the toughest phase of your career so far?
“That would be the period when my business partner left and we transitioned to a different board model. I had to give up some of my influence and let go of the company in a certain way. You have to give others the space to steer the business. At the same time, you want to stay involved enough to feel it’s still your company.”
5. What is AEGIR-Marine’s biggest challenge?
“Procedural bureaucracy. It creeps in as you grow. That’s why we’re decentralising – so we can have small units around the world. The closer you are to the customer, the easier it is to maintain our service level. You have to stay alert and never become complacent. You’ve got to keep raising the bar. My worst nightmare is that AEGIR-Marine has to say no to a customer – while another company solves the problem instead.”
6. You’re very involved in social projects. Why?
“I believe a company has a responsibility to support others. My wife Etske dedicates a lot of time and energy to local initiatives. She founded the ‘Wijkse Dienst’, a community transport service run by volunteers. With six cars, we take people to the doctor, physiotherapist, or family visits. The demand is enormous – last year alone there were 25,000 rides in a town with only 24,000 residents.
We also support young, talented entrepreneurs and students. And AEGIR is a sponsor of Mercy Ships, an organisation that operates hospital ships worldwide. We handle the maintenance of those ships.”
7. Why did you introduce employee share ownership?
“It creates a stronger bond. Employees with a permanent contract can buy share certificates. It gives them the sense that they also own a small piece of the company. When they leave the company, they must sell their shares back, as we don’t want certificates floating around outside the company. This is our fourth year doing it, and it’s a great success—about 40% of our employees participate!”
8. You’re working on a B Corp certification. What’s your motivation?
“My wife and I are grandparents to a grandson. The first thing you teach a kid is to clean up his own mess. That should apply to our company as well. We also did a survey – 82% of our employees think sustainability is important.
For AEGIR-Marine, sustainability isn’t just about reducing CO₂; it’s also about how you treat the environment, customers, suppliers and employees. We want to become the world’s first maritime B Corp. Since we have international locations and B Corp doesn’t operate in all countries, the process is quite complex. We’re currently in phase three of five, and I hope we’ll complete it this year.”
9. What are the biggest challenges ahead?
“For me personally, it’s about the handover and letting go of the business. For the family company, the main challenge is maintaining our global service level so that customers keep coming back.”
10. Where will the family business be in ten years and what will your role be?
“I hope the core of the company will still look the same, maybe with a few additional international offices. In ten years, the company will be operating independently from me – but hopefully not from the family. I don’t want to stand in my children’s way, but maybe they’ll still ask me for advice from time to time and let me represent the company now and then.”