Charlotte van de Kerk | Program Manager Sustainability at Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw

andrea tagliaferro
Aug 25
3 min read

Charlotte van de Kerk is the Program Manager Sustainability at Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw | Feadship, one of the founding members of the world-renowned Dutch superyacht builder. With a career spanning engineering, project leadership, and sustainability strategy, she is a driving force behind embedding environmental and social responsibility into one of the most innovative and precise industries in the world: superyacht building.

Originally from Germany, Charlotte moved to the Netherlands in 1998 to pursue her studies at Delft University of Technology. She earned her Master of Science in Hydraulic Engineering and Probabilistic Design, building on earlier studies in Civil Engineering and Environmental Studies at the Technical University of Hamburg. Her technical foundation gave her a strong systems-based approach to problem-solving—a skill she continues to apply in her work transforming the yachting value chain.

Before entering the yachting sector, Charlotte built a successful career in offshore engineering and project management, where she spent over a decade navigating high-stakes, technically complex environments. In 2016, drawn by the superyacht industry’s unique blend of precision, innovation, and craftsmanship, she joined Feadship. Starting at De Voogt Naval Architects in yacht engineering, she quickly advanced into department leadership at Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw. Over time, her focus shifted toward aligning the business with long-term environmental and social priorities, ultimately leading to her current role as the group’s sustainability lead.

In this capacity, Charlotte has spearheaded the development and rollout of Feadship’s first group-wide ESG programme. Within just three years, she successfully aligned six shipyard locations and specialist partners under a shared sustainability strategy—an achievement that required not only technical acumen but also deep cultural and organizational change. She works closely with the De Vries family at the board level, translating long-term vision into operational frameworks, governance models, and measurable progress. By embedding ESG insights into daily decision-making, she ensures that sustainability is not treated as an add-on but as a core driver of business excellence.

Her approach is both strategic and data-driven: through collaborations with Feadship’s Knowledge & Innovation department, Charlotte has integrated ESG performance dashboards into core management systems. These tools allow the company to identify CO₂ hotspots, improve material traceability, and guide procurement decisions—already delivering a measurable 60% reduction in metal-related CO₂ emissions. At the same time, she has cultivated a culture of pre-competitive transparency across the sector, advocating for shared responsibility and cross-industry dialogue to accelerate collective progress.

Charlotte is fluent in German, Dutch, and English, with conversational Spanish, and is based across the Netherlands, working from all six De Vries Group locations. Her role keeps her connected to every part of the yacht-building process, from engineering workshops to board-level strategy sessions.

Among her proudest achievements is building an ESG framework that doesn’t just meet compliance but creates shared value—for the business, its suppliers, and the communities surrounding its production sites. She has helped establish supplier engagement strategies rooted in transparency and resilience, implemented Scope 3 reduction initiatives, and worked to embed local value creation in the company’s relationships with its surrounding communities.

Her goals remain ambitious: operationalizing emerging legislation and ESG frameworks into practical tools, advancing supplier collaborations for greater impact, and ensuring that yachting’s legacy of craftsmanship is matched by a commitment to sustainability and inclusivity. Beyond her technical and strategic contributions, Charlotte is also a vocal advocate for diverse and inclusive leadership in a traditionally male-dominated industry—reshaping perceptions of who belongs at the helm of change.

Charlotte’s journey reflects her belief that true excellence lies not just in building remarkable yachts, but in shaping the legacy they leave behind. By connecting technical expertise with social and environmental responsibility, she continues to redefine what leadership and innovation mean in the world of luxury yachting.

Short Bio:

Charlotte van de Kerk leads ESG at Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw | Feadship, embedding sustainability across yacht building. She develops governance frameworks, drives supplier and value chain collaboration, and integrates environmental and social priorities into operations, shaping a forward-thinking, responsible yachting industry.

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