Loek Bakker to succeed Roelof Meijer as SIDN CEO on 1 May 2027
Roelof Meijer will retire at the end of April 2027
SIDN’s Supervisory Board has named Loek Bakker as the organisation’s prospective CEO. He’s due to take up the position on 1 May 2027, succeeding current CEO Roelof Meijer, who retires at the end of April 2027. Loek Bakker has been SIDN’s CTO, with a seat on the Executive Board, since September 2023. In Loek, SIDN will be acquiring an experienced new leader, who already knows the organisation well from his time as CTO. Loek’s proposed appointment will therefore ensure continuity and stability.
Recruitment of new Executive Board member
With the aim of ensuring that the resulting Executive Board vacancy is filled promptly, and that the new incumbent has ample opportunity to settle in, SIDN’s Supervisory Board will start looking for a new Executive Board member in the spring of 2026. Once an appointment is made, SIDN will temporarily have a three-strong Executive Board pending Roelof’s departure.
One of the world's biggest country-code domains
Roelof Meijer started as SIDN’s CEO in 2005, and will have held the position for 22 years by the time he retires. Under his stewardship, working in partnership with 1,100 registrars, SIDN has grown the .nl domain to roughly 6.1 million domain names and established it as one of the biggest and most secure and successful country-code domains in the world. As such, the .nl domain has become essential to the society and economy of the Netherlands.
Loek Bakker (left) and Roelof Meijer (right) in front of the SIDN office in Arnhem.
