Real-time digital twin pioneer Akselos, has appointed Shell Venture’s Michiel Van Haersma Buma as Vice President of Customer Success.

Michiel enjoyed a 12-year career with Shell as a commercial technologist, most recently spending five years with the energy giant’s Venture Capital arm, leading the implementation of breakthrough tech across Shell’s global operations. He is well-versed in Akselos’ technology, having spent the past three years supporting the tech scale-up as one of Shell Ventures portfolio companies.  

Thomas Leurent, Akselos’ CEO said: “We are delighted to welcome Michiel to the team at such a crucial time in our growth journey. He has been instrumental in the deployment of our technology within Shell and indeed in securing the three-year enterprise framework agreement we signed last year. As a Board-level advisor since 2018, he has helped shape our product offering and strategic direction and is a passionate advocate for tech as a force for good. The timing couldn’t be better as we focus on scaling-up while accelerating the deployment of offshore wind. I look forward to supporting him as he takes our customer experience and growth to new heights.”

Michiel will be responsible for every stage of the customer life cycle and he will also have oversight of global product marketing.

Michiel Van Haersma Buma said: “I’ve been fascinated with the power of Akselos’ technology ever since I was introduced to the company in 2018. My time working with countless start-ups over the years has contributed to my thinking around technology playing a key role in tackling society’s challenges, and I’m inspired by the new innovation curve Akselos is trying to establish in mechanical engineering to do just that. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with so many smart people during my time with Shell who are leading the way when it comes to technology deployment, and I’m excited to put all of that experience to good use to help Akselos design and protect energy infrastructure for a low carbon world.”

Akselos’ real-time digital twin technology is the world’s most advanced engineering simulation software, and is behind ground-breaking projects like digital twins for SHELL’S BONGA FPSO, EDPR’S WINDFLOAT ATLANTIC and Lamprell’s DIGITAL TWIN OFFERING FOR OFFSHORE ASSETS.  The company was added to the World Economic Forum’s coveted community of TECHNOLOGY PIONEERS in 2020 for its contribution to accelerating the energy transition with enabling tech.