Born in The Hague and raised in Amstelveen and Prinsenbeek, I completed my MAVO education. Since I disliked studying and honestly put very little effort into school, my father sent me into military service early. I spent 18 months with the Netherlands Marine Corps, including 9 months stationed in Curaçao. That was where my career in logistics first began to take shape, as I was assigned to work in a warehouse on the military base there.