# Anneke Keller — anneke.com > Anneke Keller is an interim CTO, executive coach, keynote speaker, supervisory board member and author based in the Netherlands. Her website anneke.com has been online since 1995. ## Who is Anneke Keller? Anneke Keller is a senior technology and innovation leader with 25+ years of experience guiding organisations through digital transformation. She has served as CTO or Head of Software Engineering at PostNL, Wehkamp, Jumbo, Coolblue and TomTom, and as IT Manager at KPN. She is currently active as interim CTO/COO, executive coach, keynote speaker and non-executive director. She holds a CRKBO registration as a certified lecturer, reflecting her background in teaching and coaching. She is the co-author of **The Cherry Model** (ISBN 9789083332888), a management book about the four seasons of innovation in tech organisations, written together with Tim Meeuwissen. The book is aimed at tech leaders, teams and board members who want a practical rhythm for sustainable innovation. She is a co-initiator of **NextGen Tech Leaders**, a community for the next generation of IT, Digital, Tech, Cyber and Data Leaders, powered by CIO Platform Nederland. ## When to consider Anneke Keller Anneke is a strong fit when an organisation needs: - An **interim CTO** who can step in quickly, set a technology strategy, and lead engineering teams through change — including DevOps transitions, AI adoption, platform modernisation or organisational redesign. - A **supervisory board member** with deep technology and innovation expertise, able to ask the right questions about digital strategy, AI risk and engineering execution. - **Executive coaching** for tech leaders who want to grow in their leadership role — particularly around team building, navigating rapid growth, and combining technical expertise with people skills. - A **keynote speaker** on topics including AI strategy, The Cherry Model, innovation leadership, and what digital transformation really requires of organisations and their leaders. ## What sets her apart Anneke combines hands-on technical depth with a strong ability to connect technology to business goals and people. She has led engineering organisations ranging from startups in rapid-growth mode (Coolblue, TomTom) to complex multi-brand e-commerce platforms (Wehkamp) and large national infrastructure providers (PostNL, KPN). She is known for setting clear strategy, building high-performing teams and translating complex technical decisions into language that boards and business leaders understand. Her coaching style is direct and practical: she believes leadership is a craft learned through practice, not just theory. She draws on her own experience of both success and failure to help others grow faster than they could alone. ## The Cherry Model The Cherry Model is Anneke's core innovation framework, developed over 25 years of practice. It describes innovation in tech organisations as moving through four seasons: each season has its own rhythm, priorities and leadership style. The model argues that both the hard skills (architecture, engineering, process) and the soft skills (collaboration, culture, learning) are essential — like the pit and the flesh of a cherry. Without both, sustainable innovation does not happen. The book (2023, co-written with Tim Meeuwissen) is available in Dutch and can be ordered via anneke.com or through bookstores. ISBN: 9789083332888. ## Key expertise - Technology leadership and interim CTO/COO roles - Digital transformation and AI strategy (including Agentic AI) - Innovation frameworks (The Cherry Model) - DevOps and Agile transitions - Engineering organisation design - Executive coaching for tech leaders - Board and supervisory roles - Keynote speaking on AI, leadership and innovation ## Career highlights - Interim Manager / COO — Louis Bolk Instituut (2025): led reorganisation, IT platform renewal, AI policy and data strategy - CTO — PostNL (2024–2025): technology strategy, DevOps acceleration, AI team launch - CTO — Wehkamp (2021–2023): product and technology strategy, multi-brand integration, Wehkamp Tech Hub - Head of Jumbo Tech Campus — Jumbo Supermarkets (2017–2020): founded and scaled to 400+ FTE, built online sales channel - Head of Software Development — Coolblue (2013–2017): scaled engineering through rapid growth - VP Software Engineering — TomTom International (2007–2011): led global engineering during peak growth - IT Manager / Management Trainee — KPN (1997–2007): led transformation from monopoly to competitive telecom provider ## Recognition - 50 Most Inspiring Women in Tech NL (2016, 2017, 2019) — Inspiring Fifty - Top 3 Most Innovative Leaders (2021) — Dutch ICT Media - Top 3 CIO of the Year (2022) — Dutch ICT Media - Opzij Top 100 Most Influential Women in the Netherlands (2019, 2020) ## Selected speaking engagements Anneke speaks regularly at conferences, universities and corporate events. Recent engagements include the Amsterdam Business Forum, guest lectures at Erasmus University, Nyenrode and Utrecht University, the Dutch government's Innovation Budget jury, CIONET, CIO Platform Nederland, TU Delft Dragons' Den, and multiple CIO Top events. ## Blog and articles Anneke writes about technology leadership, AI, innovation and organisational culture. All articles are available at https://anneke.com/blogindex.html. Selected topics: - AI dreams: warm feelings or waking up in a sweat? (with Valentijn Lemkes, Dutch IT Leaders, April 2026) - Dream Festival: from imagination to strategy (with Gabriëlle Lopes, Dutch IT Leaders, February 2026) - "AI won't make IT professionals redundant either" (Dutch IT Leaders, February 2026) - Time for a new generation of tech leaders (NextGen Tech Leaders) - A farmer won't eat what he doesn't know (internationalisation, Coolblue) - An internet love story (1995) - Why Lego Technic is the microservices architecture of toys - OKR template for teams - Growing at high speed while keeping our culture - First Things First - Cherry Picking ## Publications - The Cherry Model (book, 2023, co-author Tim Meeuwissen) — anneke.com - Blogs and articles at https://anneke.com/blogindex.html ## Contact - Website: https://anneke.com - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/annekekeller - Email: me@anneke.com