Alumnus in the Spotlight: Remko de Jong (AM'93)

Interview with Remko de Jong (AM'93) by Diana Dalenoord (UT Alumni Officer).

WHERE MATHEMATICS, TECHNOLOGY AND LEADERSHIP MEET

Since May 2025, UT alumnus Remko de Jong has been the CFO of BumaStemra. What began as an interim appointment has since become a permanent role. BumaStemra represents the music copyrights of more than 35,000 composers, lyricists and music publishers. In this position, Remko brings together his background in mathematics, his extensive experience in finance and IT transformation, and his fascination with the world behind the numbers.

Remko graduated from the University of Twente in 1993 with a degree in Applied Mathematics, specialising in statistics. Even during his studies, he combined technical courses with subjects in business administration and public management.

I'm a bit of an unconventional CFO. I find numbers fascinating, but I'm even more interested in the world behind those numbers.

After graduating, he built a career spanning more than 25 years in the financial services sector. He held senior positions at Nationale-Nederlanden, ING, and APG Asset Management, where he led large teams and managed complex transformation programmes across finance, operations and IT.

An Organisation Where Music, Data and Technology Meet

Remko joined BumaStemra as Interim Finance Director. One of his first assignments was to review the organisation's investment policy. BumaStemra collects royalties on behalf of music creators and manages these funds until they are distributed. By investing these assets carefully and conservatively, the organisation generates additional income that helps keep operating costs low for its members.

He also played a key role in a major IT transformation. Today, BumaStemra uses modern systems capable of processing enormous volumes of data from streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, ensuring royalties are matched quickly and accurately to the correct rights holders.

The organisation is currently developing a Track & Trace feature that will allow members to see where, when and how often their music has been played—even before the royalties arrive in their bank account.

We want to give our members greater insight into what happens to their music. Transparency is becoming increasingly important.

Although many people associate BumaStemra primarily with music, Remko sees clear similarities with a fintech company. Every day, vast amounts of data are processed and significant financial flows are managed. That requires reliable systems, smart technology and highly efficient processes.

Growing Through Collaboration

BumaStemra is one of the ten largest music rights organisations in the world. To maintain that position, it continues to strengthen its collaboration with international partners. Its current strategy is built around three key principles: connect, collect and collaborate.

According to Remko, everything ultimately comes down to trust. Music creators want to know that their rights are managed properly and that royalties are distributed quickly and accurately. To support this, BumaStemra publishes an annual transparency report providing detailed insight into its financial flows and royalty payments.

Photo: Remko (right) with colleagues from BumaStemra

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Alongside his role at BumaStemra, Remko is also an entrepreneur. About ten years ago, he decided to continue his career as an independent interim manager. Through his company, JoRe Project & Interim Management BV, he helps organisations successfully manage large-scale transformation programmes. Most of his assignments come through his extensive professional network. He enjoys entrepreneurship because of the freedom, variety and new challenges it offers. Artificial intelligence is also becoming increasingly important in his field. At BumaStemra, AI is used to support data processing and analytical work. Nevertheless, Remko sees technology primarily as a tool.

AI can accelerate many processes, but ultimately people must remain in control.

Proud of His Twente Foundation

From mathematics student to CFO of an organisation that distributes millions of euros in royalties to music creators around the world, Remko's career demonstrates how mathematics, technology and societal impact can come together in remarkable ways.

Looking back, he is still grateful for the foundation he gained at the University of Twente. The analytical mindset he developed there remains invaluable in his daily work. Whether tackling complex financial challenges or leading digital transformations, the combination of mathematics, technology and organisational insight continues to provide a strong basis for his career.

Photo: Remko during his student days at the TW/RC building (now known as Cubicus)