Miriam Hoekstra-van der Deen leaving Schiphol; Patricia Vitalis is successor

Miriam Hoekstra-van der Deen has announced that she will be leaving Schiphol as director of Airport Operations & Aviation Partnerships. Patricia Vitalis will take her place as of 1 March 2021.

Miriam Hoekstra-van der Deen: “Coronavirus has required us to make many adjustments, in Schiphol’s operation too. The plans for reorganisation have been drawn up over the past weeks and are now being finalised. This is time for me to reflect on my own future. I have decided that it is time for something new. I have ambitions that reach further than what I currently do. This is the right moment for me to take the next step in my career, outside of Schiphol. I do not yet know where that will be, but the sense of freedom in my mind feels good and I am ready for this adventure. I can look back on 8 wonderful years at Schiphol; I have experienced countless exciting moments and we have achieved great results. I am grateful for the fantastic time I have had and which is now drawing to a close. Over the coming months, I will be handing the task over to my successor Patricia Vitalis, with whom I have enjoyed a close and pleasant working relationship for many years. I have every confidence in her as a successor.”

On behalf of the Schiphol Group management board, Birgit Otto announced: “It is with respect for her decision and pain in our (aviation)heart that we are saying farewell to Miriam Hoekstra-van der Deen, one of the pillars of Schiphol’s operation. Miriam dedicated herself with great love and passion to the aviation sector and to her staff as director of Airport Operations, achieving great results including the introduction of APOC, and digitalisation and AI in the operation. We would like to thank Miriam for her hard work and commitment to our mission of ‘Connecting your world’. We wish Miriam the best of luck with the next steps in her career. At the same time, we are delighted to have Patricia Vitalis as the successor - someone who has more than proven themselves as member of the Operations Management Team over the past years. We also wish her the best of luck in this new role.”

Patricia Vitalis will take over from Miriam Hoekstra-van der Deen on 1 March 2021. Patricia Vitalis: “Since 2002, I have been working for one of the finest companies in the country: Schiphol. For the past few years, as Senior Manager Process, Development and Capacity Management in Airport Operations. During this time, I have been able to work closely with Miriam and I am very grateful for the opportunities that she has offered me. I look forward to leading operations and to working on the advancement of Schiphol as an airport that connects the Netherlands with the rest of the world together with my Schiphol colleagues, the airlines and all other partners at the airport."