Meet our Team
Harrie de Leijer is an expert in multimodal transport and logistics infrastructure, planning and
management, with a focus on inland waterways transport and ports. He has working experience in Europe,
Asia, Africa and South America. He has a broad experience in managing, carrying out and organising
projects for customers such as port authorities, river authorities, national and regional authorities and
supra-national organisations, International Financing Institutes, shippers, transport operators, terminal
operators, infrastructure managers. His speciality concerns the development of master plans for inland
waterway transport systems, based on an integrated approach containing the elements of infrastructure,
market organisation, institutional organisation, supporting systems, promotion and knowledge exchange.
He has set up several interest groups in port development and hinterland logistics, and has been a Board
Member several organisations of Engineering Consultants. He was stationed in Shanghai for several years,
especially involved in the development of a masterplan for the ports and hinterland transport development
in the Yangtze River Basin. His experience in transport research and consultancy spans 40 years, of which
the last 25 years mainly focus on inland waterways and ports.
Sandra van Putten is a partner at Nestra and is an expert in logistics and transport and has extensive
experience in planning and management. Sandra has more than twenty years of experience in transport and
logistics sector and has been delivering projects for national and regional authorities, European Commission
and multi-lateral organizations like World Bank, IADB and others. Her specialty is in areas of assessment of
logistics infrastructure, such as ports, container handling facilities, inland waterway terminals, logistics parks
and related connectivity, institutional and legal development, execution and evaluation of maritime and and
logistics transport systems, based on an integrated approach containing the elements of infrastructure, market
organization, institutional organization, promotion and knowledge exchange. She has experience in
assessments across various modes of transport including road, rail, coastal and IWT.
Richard van Liere has over a decade’s experience in development of inland waterway transport as part of
multimodal transport solutions. With completed projects in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America for
international financing institutes, national and regional governments, industry associations and private
organisations, throughout the years, supporting sustainable inland waterway transport development on a global
scale has become an area of focus for Richard. In project, Richard looks into topics like: multimodal transport
planning in perspective of economic corridor development; freight market assessments for modal shift;
integrative development of waterway infrastructure for a sustainable inland waterways transport ecosystem;
River Information Services (RIS), digitization and smart shipping; modernization and greening of the fleet with
the aim to contribute to zero-emission transport. Also in the field of education and training, Richard has been
active in various projects to exchange (inter)national knowledge and best practices.
Ties de Leijer serves as a project manager and consultant at Nestra, specializing in sustainable transport. His
responsibilities encompass an involvement in international projects designed to enhance the environmental
sustainability of the transport sector. As a consultant within Nestra, Ties contributes to various domestic and
international research projects, focusing on areas such as ports, transport and logistics, and multimodal
transport systems.His expertise in sustainable transport is underpinned by a educational foundation, holding a
Bachelor of Science in Human & Environmental Geography and a Master of Science in Environment & Society
Studies. This academic background has equipped him with a global perspective and an understanding of the
interplay between human systems and environmental sustainabilityIn his current role, Ties is engaged in a
series of projects commissioned by institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the
European Commission, the Dutch diplomatic network and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water
Management. He also collaborates closely with regional governments and various organizations within the
transport sector, contributing to initiatives that aim to foster sustainable practices within the industry.