Julie van ‘t Hoff began full-time at her family's Van Uden group about seven years ago as a receptionist, but it was not long before her father placed her in charge of Van Uden Shipping.

At 30 years of age and a far from orthodox career story until then for a budding executive in a group celebrating its 170th anniversary this year, van ‘t Hoff set about revitalising a division of Van Uden that had fallen on hard times.