Netherlands' GasTerra Chief Executive to Leave Post

Dutch gas trader GasTerra's chief executive is leaving to become the new chairman of the Netherlands' Association for Energy, Environment and Water (VENW), the company said on Friday.

Gertjan Lankhorst has been chief executive of GasTerra for 10 years. His successor is not yet known, GasTerra said.

"I am leaving the organisation at a time when, despite the sometimes unpredictable circumstances in the energy and gas sector, it is well prepared for the future," Lankhorst said in a statement.

Lankhorst will take over as chairman of VENW, which represents business electricity, gas and water customers in the Netherlands, on Jan. 1, 2017.

GasTerra is the biggest gas trading firm in the Netherlands and a major supplier to European countries. It exports most of its gas to Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Belgium.

GasTerra is half owned by the Dutch government, with Shell and Exxon each holding a 25 percent stake.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney in London)