Daan Koornneef Appointed CEO of Econowind

Econowind has appointed Daan Koornneef as its new CEO. The Dutch company is scaling up operations to meet growing global demand for sustainable propulsion solutions.

Founder Frank Nieuwenhuis will now dedicate his time fully to research and development of the company’s VentoFoil technology.

“I am proud to join Econowind at this exciting stage of growth,” said Koornneef. “Throughout my career, I have worked at the intersection of maritime operations and sustainability. What drew me to Econowind is the clarity of its mission, the practical value of its solution, and the ambitious team. Wind propulsion is not a future concept. It is available today and ready to make a real impact.”

Koornneef brings over 35 years of experience in the maritime and offshore sectors. He began his career in the Royal Netherlands Navy and later worked in towage, salvage, offshore energy and manufacturing equipment for wind farm construction. His roles span a range of projects and services, including deep-water oil recovery from wrecks, marine management at LNG terminals and floating storage & regasification units, offshore wind installation and heavy-lift transport for the energy transition. A commitment to environmental improvement has remained a consistent focus.

“Daan’s deep maritime background and strong sustainability mindset make him the right person to lead Econowind into the future,” said Nieuwenhuis. “Leading a scale-up requires full-time focus. With Daan as CEO, I can work on what I enjoy most: pushing our technology forward and driving continuous improvements to the VentoFoils. Our goal is to maximize wind yield and minimize payback time, making wind propulsion an even more attractive investment for shipowners.”

Econowind started in shortsea and is now preparing to deploy larger VentoFoil units, measuring up to 30 meters, to meet the needs of deep-sea shipping.