Linda Treuman, Maritime Connector
On this website, women from the maritime sector share their stories. This is the story of Linda Treuman.
What do you do for work?
I am a maritime connector. I have been working in and around the port for over 20 years, and wherever I see potential connections, I bring companies and people together. Among other things, I help (international) startups find their rightful place within Rotterdam’s ecosystem.
I started my career at the Port of Rotterdam Authority and later worked as a project manager and lecturer at the Shipping and Transport College. For the past eight years, I have run my own company, Marina Projects. My assignments are always at the intersection of business development and networking, such as managing a trade association, various trade development projects, and building (international) partnerships. Always with a focus on the maritime and port sectors. This sector is the most fascinating field of work in the world; everything converges in and around the port; whether it concerns logistics flows or technological developments, innovations or geopolitics, you can find it among the companies in this sector. And it has a direct impact on those companies.
I have knowledge of this market and connect—based on substance. Maintaining knowledge of the supply chain and the relationships within it is a major part of my work. Of course, there must be a strategy behind making a good connection. My maritime network is valuable to many clients. For example, I am currently helping an organization enter the Northern European market, with Rotterdam as the starting point, of course.
Does being a woman play a role in your work?
I’m really just Linda, so no, but when I think about it… probably. I just never felt that way. Even as a child, I was drawn to the harbor whenever I drove to Oostvoorne with my parents and saw “the harbor lights.” My brother and I were given the same opportunities and an open view of the world. We traveled as a family and went diving with our own Zodiac RIB. I also think it’s only logical that I do the same things as a man, but the world doesn’t always see it that way. For example, there are still relatively few women at the C-level. Fortunately, things are improving quickly! I was often the only woman on a team, at a meeting, or at an event, but that never stuck with me as a negative experience. I have, however, occasionally heard jokes or comments that wouldn’t be acceptable today.
Of course, there are things I now think, “Would a man have come up with that?” That’s how I made the move into education, partly because the school vacations were appealing when you have young children. But the biggest reason was really that combination of the port and education, isn’t it wonderful to get young people excited about our sector? I try to actively contribute to that, for example, by introducing young people to the network, and by keeping an eye on the gender balance among speakers at the events I organize, and I help women advance within the Rotterdam network wherever I can. People in the port know: if you’re looking for someone who knows the sector and knows a lot of people, she’s the one to go to. That’s what matters, and - fortunately - it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.
What do you like most about your job?
The international connections and the fact that you’re always interacting with people on the port’s vast scale. It’s truly a people’s business. And once you catch that maritime bug, it’s with you for life. Everything converges at the port: geographical, technological, political, and social developments. Just think of a cargo flow, and you can apply these developments to it. No matter your background, you can find a place here and continue to grow.
Plus, you get to visit amazing places—unique ships, all kinds of terminals, impressive locations. Not to mention the international trade fairs and conferences that bring the entire supply chain together. Even as a student in Rotterdam, you could feel it: the port is alive! And if you were born and raised in Rotterdam, there really is ‘Maaswater in your blood.’
I was often the only woman on a team, at a meeting, or at an event, but that never stuck with me as a negative experience
