Adjudication

An experienced jury, chaired by Eelco Hoekstra, evaluates the candidates against predefined criteria. The selection process consists of several rounds and ultimately leads to the election of the Young Captain.

Jury and candidates 2025

Young Captain Award Jury and candidates 2025

From left to right: Lodewijk Hijmans van den Bergh, Stephanie Hottenhuis, Eelco Hoekstra, Peter Hondebrink, Hein Schumacher, George Tokaya, Hans van Oosterhout with the 3 finalists Damla Hendriks, Kaya de Lange and Brian Broeders.

Relevant dates:

Judging Process

September 24: First jury round & nomination of finalists
Venue: A&O Shearman, Amsterdam
October 12: Final jury interviews followed by a dinner celebrating the official announcement of the 2026 finalists
Venue: Bilderberg Garden Hotel, Amsterdam
November 9 : Young Captain Award Ceremony
Venue: ‘De Duif’, Amsterdam

Young Captain Program

August 27 & 28: Young Captain Program
Two-day leadership program for all candidates nominated for the Young Captain Award 2026
Venue: Bilderberg Résidence Groot Heideborgh, Garderen
October 30: Young Captain Program – Follow-up Day
Venue: BCG, Amsterdam

Jury members

Eelco Hoekstra

Eelco Hoekstra
Jury chair; CEO Silvania and board member with international experience

Stephanie Hottenhuis

Stephanie Hottenhuis
CEO & Chair to the Board of KPMG Netherlands

Peter Hondebrink

Peter Hondebrink
Deputy Director Top Sectors & Industrial Policy, Ministry of Economic Affairs

Hans van Oosterhout

Hans van Oosterhout
Professor of Corporate Governance, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

Heleen Dura - van Oord

Heleen Dura - van Oord
Entrepreneur, investor and board member Rijksmuseum, De Efteling, African Parks Foundation and The School of Moral Ambition.

Marjan Rintel

Marjan Rintel
President and CEO KLM

Lodewijk Hijmans van den Bergh

Lodewijk Hijmans van den Bergh
Lid RvC bij ING, Heineken en HAL

Hein Schumacher

Hein Schumacher
Former CEO Unilever

George Tokaya

George Tokaya
Philips, Commercial Category Leader Beademingsmaskers & Software, Young Captain 2024

Friday, 24 September

First round of interviews

The jury will hold intensive interviews with all the candidates on the long list. For this, the jury will be divided into two groups. Both groups of jury members will hold an interview of about an hour with the candidates. In the interviews, the jury will ask searchingly about their ambitions and performance, moral issues on the subject of leadership, European economic issues, their views on sustainable business and the role of the business enterprise in an international social and economic perspective. At the end of the day the full jury will get together to choose the three finalists. The selection board will give reasons for its choice in a jury report. All the candidates will be personally informed by one of the members of the jury on the result and reasons for its choice or rejection. In this way, they will also get feedback about their performance.

Monday, 12 October

Second and Final Interview Round; Finalists' Dinner

During this round, the three finalists each write an essay on a number of pre-defined questions, themes, or propositions. These topics are drawn from current affairs and change annually. The essay serves as input for a two-hour discussion with the full jury. In recent years, discussions have covered topics such as ageing populations, emerging markets, global food production, and European economic policy.

This session takes the form of a high-level debate, offering the candidates a valuable opportunity to showcase their insights and capabilities.

Following the discussions, the jury selects the new Young Captain. The outcome remains confidential until the official Award Ceremony.

As tradition dictates, partner Bilderberg hosts a dinner for the three finalists, the jury members, and the board at the Bilderberg Garden Hotel in Amsterdam.

Monday, 9 November

Presentation of the Young Captain Award

The winner will be announced and the Award will be presented during a festive dinner in the presence of about 130 business leaders from the business community in the Netherlands.