Joanne de Jonge Appointed Interim Director of Nationale Deelneming Warmte

Joanne de Jonge (48) has been appointed Interim Director of Nationale Deelneming Warmte (NDW – National Heat Investor). On 1 August 2026, she will succeed Herman Exalto (65). Exalto will step down from his role as Project Director of NDW and continue to be involved with NDW as Director of Regional Cooperation.

Over the past period, Nationale Deelneming Warmte (National Heat Investor – part of EBN) has been established and its mandate has been embedded in the Dutch Collective Heat Act (Wet collectieve warmte). Under Exalto’s leadership, the foundations have been laid for several new regional public heat companies. In addition, preparations have been made for the upcoming acquisition process involving private heat companies. Following its start-up phase, NDW is now entering a new stage under the leadership of Joanne de Jonge.

De Jonge brings more than twenty years of experience in the energy and financial sectors to NDW. She previously served as Strategy Director at Invest-NL, where she played a key role in developing the organisation’s strategy, governance structure and investment frameworks for an investment mandate of €1.7 billion. Prior to that, she held various positions at ONE-Dyas and Shell in the fields of business development, investments and asset management. De Jonge studied Mining Engineering and Petroleum Engineering at Delft University of Technology and earned an MBA from INSEAD.

In his new role, Herman Exalto will focus on the further development of regional public heat companies and will continue to contribute to NDW’s strategic relationships across the heat sector. Before becoming Project Director of NDW, Exalto served as Business Unit Director Geothermal Energy at EBN. Earlier in his career, he was Commercial Director of heat company Ennatuurlijk and Director of Heat & Cold at Eneco.

Jaap Bierman, CEO of EBN – Energie Beheer Nederland: “Decarbonising heat demand is one of the major challenges of the energy transition. NDW has been tasked with accelerating the rollout of district heating through the establishment of and investment in heat companies. Over the past period, Herman has worked on building NDW into an important cornerstone for accelerating the heat transition. Under Joanne’s leadership, NDW is now entering a new phase. With her extensive experience in energy-sector investments, public-private partnerships and organisational development, she is exceptionally well equipped to guide NDW through this next stage. I am pleased that Herman will continue to contribute his knowledge and expertise to the success of NDW and the heat transition.”

The National Heat Investor (NDW), which is currently housed within EBN, is a state-owned policy participation of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. It supports municipalities, provinces and network operators in establishing public heat companies and developing district heating systems. NDW invests in heat companies, provides expertise and experience, and helps realise affordable, sustainable and reliable heat supply solutions. In this context, NDW is also holding discussions on the potential acquisition on behalf of the Dutch State of the Dutch heat businesses of Eneco, Ennatuurlijk and Vattenfall.