Peter Brongers : ‘’To make Kep West a reference point for tourism, cuisine and the arts, and a driving force for the development of the coastal region‘’

Peter Brongers is an expatriate of Dutch origin who knows South-East Asia inside out, a region in which he is well known for his skills as a development expert. He now devotes part of his professional activity to working alongside Jef Moons, with whom he shares the same ambitions: to make Kep West a benchmark for tourism, cuisine, arts and sport, as well as a driving force for the development of the region.

Peter Brongers

Can you introduce yourself in a few words?

My name is Peter Brongers and I'm Dutch. I first came to Cambodia in 1994. Before that, I lived in Hong Kong. There I set up a company that dealt with wastewater treatment and industrial water treatment plants. We designed and built in Thailand.

What is your educational background and area of expertise?

I have degrees in economics, law and business management. I also obtained a master’s degree in management from the University of Groningen. I also did the Executive Program at the IMD in Switzerland. My career began in the 80s with my first job being in sales for Fokker Aircraft, a long time ago.

Your first contact with Asia

I went to Asia for the first time in 1994. It was in Hong Kong that I set up the office of this Dutch water treatment company. Of course, we didn't have any production in Hong Kong. Everything was done in Thailand.

I visited the Thai company every month or two. Hong Kong was incredibly expensive at the time. I think accommodation was even more expensive than it is today. So, staying in Hong Kong didn't make sense for us, because production was taking place in Thailand. At that time there was an issue between the shareholders and the German partner withdrew. So, they were urgently looking for someone to take over the management of the company and they offered me the job.

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