Kommer Damen honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

alt="Kommer Damen honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award"/>

Kommer Damen, 78, at the Dutch Maritime Awards Gala

Kommer Damen received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Maritime Awards Gala in Rotterdam, recognition his years of service to the maritime industry. Kommer Damen, 78, is Chairman of Damen Shipyards Group, parent company of Amels and Damen Yachting.

Rose Damen, his daughter and Managing Director of Damen Yachting, said: “I am amazingly proud of my father to receive this special and well deserved award, as he has been the visionary for this business and is still very involved. My father is a ‘people person’ – a defining trait I was happy to inherit, and a key aspect of the yachting market where everything revolves around relationships.

“It is so important for clients to know they are dealing with key family members, and they pick up such signals very quickly. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work in our family business and for the values my father set out; I cannot think of a more solid base for even greater success in the future.”

Kommer (centre) with daughter Rose (second left), MD of Damen Yachting

In 1927, Kommer Damen’s father and uncle started building boats in a shed next to the family home in the Dutch town of Hardinxveld-Giessendam and established Damen Shipyards. In 1969, Kommer bought the shipyard from his family members. His idea was to produce vessels in series for stock, so vessel operators would have access to proven technology.

This philosophy revolutionised shipbuilding. Building on its success, Damen Shipyards Group went global. Today, the group operates 35 newbuild and repair yards, as well as numerous maritime equipment suppliers, and employs 12,000 people all around the world.

In 1991, the Damen Shipyards Group entered the world of yacht building with the acquisition of Amels. Here, Kommer Damen’s vision was once again applied, with custom yachts being built on proven platforms. It was this approach that led to Amels’ Limited Editions becoming one of the superyacht industry’s greatest success stories.

Group photo at the Dutch Maritime Awards gala in Rotterdam

As Chairman of Damen Shipyards Group, which remains 100 per cent family-owned, Kommer Damen maintains an active role in the business. His son Arnout Damen is CEO, daughter Annelies sits on the company’s board as a non-executive, son Bear combines his career as a film director with being an active shareholder, while daughter Rose heads up Damen Yachting.

The latest award adds to others gained over a lifetime of committed service to the maritime industry, including the Seawork Lifetime Achievement Award and the royal Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau.