Overview

Gender

male

Bernardus (Ben) Verwaayen joined Akamai as a director in November 2013. Having held numerous executive positions at leading telecommunications and technology providers over a span of more than three decades, Verwaayen has served as CEO of BT; international vice president, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Lucent Technologies; and as president and general manager of PTT Telecom, a KPN subsidiary in the Netherlands. Verwaayen was most recently CEO of Alcatel-Lucent from 2008 to 2013.

He has served on the Boards of NED Sport 7 (Netherlands TV sports channel); NED Astro (Cable TV); Unisource (European telecom cooperation between Telefonica, TeliaSonera, Swisscom and KPN); Endemol (TV content); NED UPS (packages delivery); NED AKZO Nobel (Paint and Chemicals); The World Economic Forum; and as an Advisory Council Member for ING (banking).

He is Chairman of the CBI Energy and Climate Change Board in the UK.

Verwaayen has been made an officer of the Orange Order-Nassau and an Honorary Knight of the British Empire (KBE). He is a recipient of the Chevalier de la Légion d 'Honneur medal.

He graduated with a master's degree in law and international politics from the State University of Utrecht, Holland.