Pieter came to live and work in England from the Netherlands in 1967 and was granted British nationality in 1974. He is a Chartered Engineer and has a Master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. His career spans 37 years in the UK aircraft and defence industry (British Aerospace/BAE Systems and GEC plc), in which he held senior export management positions at home and overseas. He retired in 2004.
He was first elected to West Sussex County Council for the Witterings Division in 2009. Currently he is chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee, a member of the Regulation, Audit, and Accounts Committee, and a member of the Planning and Rights of Way Committee. On behalf of the County Council he is a member of the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, of the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, and of the Chichester Harbour Conservancy.
A widower and grandfather, he has lived in Birdham since 2004.