Since 2001, Derk has been working on water, respectively in freshwater conservation, water footprint, water risk, agricultural value chain water stewardship and catchment collective action.
He has worked in WWF, set up the Water Footprint Network Foundation and has been leading his own company, Good Stuff International since 2008. Good Stuff International is a global company of experts that support people and organisations in sustainable water use, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection. As a mission driven company, GSI has become a global leader in value chain catchment collective action to generate sustainable water use in catchments benefiting people and nature. Derk has worked in a wide variety of countries and contexts with stakeholders from companies, NGOs, governments and communities. His scientific interests span water, ecology, social and economic sciences and information technology. He was trained as an ecologist at the University of Amsterdam.