NETHERLANDS – John van Markwijk, CIO of metal workers pension scheme PME, died unexpectedly on 6 April. The Dutch industry has reacted with shock and grief to the loss of a valued colleague and friend.

John van Markwijk, born in 1960, was a well-known figure in the Dutch pensions and investment industry. Since 2010 he has served as CIO of the industry-wide pension fund for the 'Metalektro' sector, PME. Prior to joining the fund, he was managing director at risk specialist and consultant Ortec. Before his time at Ortec in 2008, Van Markwijk held various positions, including director of asset management at SPF Beheer – the in-house manager of the Dutch Railway Fund – and at Interpolis and its legal predecessors.

John van Markwijk was a socially committed and politically engaged individual, and was involved with the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) in an advisory role, both on a national level and locally in the city of Leiden. He also was a passionate musician and music expert, who was widely know outside the pension industry as the author of a highly regarded biography of Dutch conductor Rogier van Otterloo.

John will be remembered and missed not only as a consummate professional but also for his kindness and integrity.

The editorial teams of IPNederland and IPE express their deepest condolences to John's family and friends.