CEO Piet Middelkoop on 80 years of solving complexity, the role of technology and what ‘We’ve got your back’ still means today.
Piet Middelkoop | CEO, Van Ameyde Group
What does it take to stay relevant for 80 years?
For Van Ameyde, the answer has never been simply to keep doing what has worked before. From the earliest days of the company to today’s use of technology and automation, there has been a consistent instinct to look at complexity and ask a practical question: can this be done better?
That mindset has shaped Van Ameyde from the beginning.
“Taking the burden away and helping people move forward – that is the core of our story.”
Over the past eight decades, Van Ameyde has evolved far beyond its origins. Today, Van Ameyde is part of Van Ameyde Group, an international group of specialist companies. The Group brings together different businesses and their specialist expertise and capabilities, while Van Ameyde itself continues to support businesses, governments, multinationals, insurers and self-insured organisations with a broad range of specialist services.
Sometimes that means providing additional expertise or capacity. In other cases, clients entrust Van Ameyde with their entire claims process. Whatever the situation, the underlying idea is the same: solve the problem properly, so the client can get on with business.
It sounds straightforward. The reality often is not.
A claim may cross several borders. It may involve different legislation, local practices or highly specialised technical knowledge. Sometimes the challenge is a long way from what people would associate with traditional claims handling.
Middelkoop gives the example of a vessel falling from a dry dock in South Africa. In a case like that, Van Ameyde may need to bring in engineers, technical specialists and even a captain to help get the vessel back on the water as quickly as possible. The claim needs to be handled, of course, but the real objective is broader: solve the problem so the client can move on.
Technology and artificial intelligence dominate many conversations about innovation today. At Van Ameyde, however, the instinct to find new solutions goes back much further.
Towards the end of the Second World War, founder Henri van Ameyde recognised a practical problem. Damaged Dutch military vehicles were spread across Allied countries. By organising their repatriation, he enabled the Dutch Ministry of Defence to assess the damage and manage its fleet more effectively.
Not long afterwards, another challenge emerged. International road traffic was increasing, and so were accidents involving drivers from different countries. Henri van Ameyde went on to contribute to the development of the European Green Card system, creating greater structure around cross-border motor claims.
The circumstances have changed considerably since then, but the approach is recognisable: identify where complexity is getting in the way and find a practical way to manage it.
That same thinking continues today.
Van Ameyde invests in automation and embraces developments such as artificial intelligence. But Middelkoop is clear that technology is not an end in itself.
“We are very aware of the shortage of people. We see it as a societal responsibility to use people primarily for work where they can add value, rather than having them do work a computer can also do.”
That puts a different perspective on efficiency. It is not only about speed or cost. It is also about making better use of human expertise.
If technology can take care of repetitive work, people can spend more time on the situations where judgement, experience and specialist knowledge really matter.
Over the decades, Van Ameyde has expanded its international footprint, while Van Ameyde Group has grown into an international group of specialist companies, bringing together expertise across different markets.
Operating across borders creates obvious opportunities, but it also brings complexity. Language, legislation, taxation, regulation and business culture differ from country to country.
Van Ameyde works with one platform across its operations, while deliberately leaving room for those local differences. The principle is consistency where it helps, without assuming that the same solution will work in exactly the same way everywhere.
That balance is particularly important for clients operating internationally. They want the advantages of working with one organisation, but they also need people who understand what happens locally. For Middelkoop, that is why a one-size-fits-all approach does not work.
Today, hundreds of thousands of claims are processed through Van Ameyde’s own ECHO platform each year. The platform has been in use since 2007 by Van Ameyde companies as well as external parties in several countries.
It is a very different organisation from the company Henri van Ameyde founded 80 years ago. But there is a clear thread running through that history: see the problem, understand what is really needed, bring together the right expertise and keep looking for a better way to solve it.
An 80th anniversary is naturally a moment to look back. But perhaps the greater value of 80 years of experience lies in what it allows you to do next.
Markets will continue to change. Technology will continue to develop. New forms of complexity will emerge. And the questions clients ask tomorrow will not always be the questions they ask today.
Experience matters when it helps you respond to those changes rather than resist them.
For Van Ameyde, that means continuing to combine human expertise, local knowledge and technology in ways that help clients move forward.
For Van Ameyde, that commitment is captured in a promise that has been part of the brand for years: We’ve got your back.
Being there when things become complex. Taking responsibility. And helping clients get back on track.
Eighty years after Van Ameyde was founded, that mindset remains as relevant as ever. And within Van Ameyde Group, it sits alongside an increasingly broad range of specialist expertise – connected where it creates greater value for clients.
80 YEARS FORWARD
Experience keeps us moving. Curiosity takes us further.
