“We are very proud that we can fill this important position with one of our own.”
He knows the region like the back of his hand: Jan Schomaker has been appointed Head of Region Middle East & Africa (MEA). He has been part of the Big Dutchman family since 2010, most recently as Sales Director MEA, and will take up the newly created position on 1 October 2025.
Jan Schomaker
Jan joined the company when he started a dual study programme in business administration in cooperation with Big Dutchman. After completing his first degree, he became a sales trainee for MEA in 2013. Along with his sales training, he worked on his master’s degree.
From 2015, Jan was Area Sales Manager. In this role, he was responsible for multiple agencies and subsidiaries in the MEA region and worked closely with them. He was promoted to Sales Director MEA in 2023.
Ulf Meyer, who has held a dual role as Head of Europe and MEA since the reorganisation in 2015, will focus entirely on the expansion of the European business in future. Under Ulf’s leadership, sales in Europe have more than doubled, from around EUR 180 million to an expected EUR 400 million in the current year.
Growth market
CEO Steffen Bersch: “Europe and MEA will continue to be among our most important growth markets. They are very dynamic markets, making it necessary for responsibility to be shared by several people. Ulf and Jan can now concentrate fully on their respective markets and develop them further.”
The MEA region is also growing strongly. Managed by Ulf Meyer, turnover there has tripled since 2015 – from around EUR 50 million to EUR 150 million.
Thanks
Jan Schomaker: “For the past two years, I have been working with Ulf and the team to strategically develop the Middle East and Africa. I look forward to continuing this path as Head of MEA, together with the entire team. My special thanks go to Ulf, Mr Meerpohl and the entire Board of Management for their support and the trust they have placed in me.”
Ulf Meyer: “We are very proud that we can fill this important position with one of our own. Jan’s career is an excellent example of the quality of our training and the development opportunities at Big Dutchman.”
CEO Steffen Bersch says: “The Board of Management would like to thank Ulf Meyer for his many years of commitment to his dual role. With Jan Schomaker, we have a colleague who has a deep understanding of the region thanks to his extensive travelling activities – and who will further develop the strong growth potential in MEA. We wish them both every success and hope they will enjoy their new tasks.”
