Management

Marc van der Heijden, CEO (1959)

  • Founder of Tonson Enterprises, an investment company that actively invests in business innovators.

  • Co-founder of the Enabling Technology Fund (2012). He was chairman of Teleena Holding bv (2007) and served on the advisory board of RadioAccess (2008), Parthenon Data Centres bv and Wimax Holdings Inc.

  • Co-founder Versatel Telecom BV (1995) with Gary Mesch. Versatel was the first competitive telecom provider in the Netherlands and a key player in Germany and Belgium with its own fibre optic and switching facilities. Its subsidaries Zon and Versapoint pioneered internet acces and DSL-markets and introduced internet access to millions of people. In 1999 Versatel went public after an IPO on Nasdaq and the AEX. Marc was Versatel’s executive officer responsible for areas such as strategy, public affairs, regulation, wholesale and mobile communications. Marc served as member of the Executive Board until the acquisition of Versatel Netherlands/Belgium and Versatel Germany by, respectively, Tele2 and Apax Capital in 2006.

  • CEO of High Key Consultancy (1989-1995) specializing in telecommunications, space communication and new media. He advised the European Commission, the European Space Agency, SES/ASTRA, Eurocontrol and Inmarsat. He joined various European expert teams of KPMG and PA Consulting and managed bidding processes for GSM licenses and the sale processes of public cable-TV networks (1989-1995).

  • CEO of High Key Satellite Systems (1985-1989), which provided satellite TV and VSAT services to businesses and hotels around Europe, and was active in the area of TV-transmission, fax broadcasting and international telephony arbitration.

  • Journalist/editor (1982-1994); editor and writer of articles on media, telecommunications and space technology for trade journals, newspapers and legal publications (eg NRC/Handelsblad Kortschrift, Mediaforum, Variety, TelecomMagazine, Totaltelecom, Communications Weekly).

  • Legal assistant at Telecom practice of Shaw Pittman in Washington, DC, and consultant at the International Institute of Communications in London.

  • Studied air and space law, telecommunication law and intellectual property law in Amsterdam, Leiden and Utrecht. He holds a degree in law of the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. He was co-founder of legal periodical MediaForum and research insitute the Institute of Satellite Applications.

  • LinkedIn profile: Marc van der Heijden

home page

contact: marc@tonson.nl