Simon, a proud alumnus, reminisces fondly about his days at the BSN, highlighting how the school profoundly shaped his life. He shares insights into his enduring connection with the BSN and what led him to reconnect with the alumni community.

Staying Connected to the BSN

Since 2008, Simon has been proactively organising alumni reunions, with the BSN’s support, in both the Netherlands and the UK. This is a big undertaking as they are large, successful events, open to alumni from all years, and take place over a weekend to allow plenty of time for proper catching up. Beyond these reunions, Simon is involved with the BSN in an official voluntary capacity: he is a member of the BSN’s ‘Association’, which oversees the Board of Governors. In addition, he has supported the school’s Careers department by giving talks and participating in career days.

Considering his extensive commitments, one might wonder how Simon manages his schedule—especially as, in his professional life, he is quite literally a rocket scientist.

He currently works for ESA (European Space Agency) as a Project Manager. Prior to returning to the Netherlands, he worked in four different countries in the Space industry.

He has two children who both went to the BSN: Sarah (class of 2014) and Thomas (class of 2020).

Find out why Simon loved being at the BSN, who his favourite teacher was and how his education prepared him for his future and not only in an academic sense:

Simon studied Physics, Chemistry, and Maths at Sixth Form and went on to study Physics and Electronics at University.

He is one of our alumni career volunteers and is more than happy to help anyone who needs advice. You are welcome to connect with him directly through the BSN Alumni Community Portal.

Quick Q& A

What project are you working on at ESA?

The project I am working on is called ACES. It’s a project to put two highly accurate clocks into orbit to help us confirm that Einstein’s General Theory of relativity (that Time Alters with Gravity) is correct. It’s an extremely challenging job – my responsibility is for the whole project, and it was touch and go whether it would ever work.

Thankfully, we completed the project, and it will be launched on a SpaceX Dragon2 rocket to the Space station in April. It is probably the most important and impactful experiment ever run in space as the science that can be obtained – including linking atomic clocks on Earth – is pretty astounding.

What are your hobbies?

I have a lot of hobbies, but my main ones are playing and designing board games. I started designing games in 2019, and I (finally) have four games being published in 2025 – a new experience for me and very exciting. It’s a very creative thing to do and a great, friendly hobby which is all about having fun. In some ways, it’s similar to the book industry, with small print runs at first and then more runs if a game is a hit. So, let’s see how I do!

Thank you for sharing your story, Simon, and for your continued support of the BSN. Not to mention how generously you give your time to past and current students!

Would you like to share your story? 

We are interested in everything and anything; whatever you would like to share with us about your time at the BSN and your experiences since leaving. Please get in touch: bsn.alumni@britishschool.nl