Chief Executive Officer

Nikki Klijn

Nikki began her career as a high-performance athlete, competing at the top level from 2006 to 2011. After several successful years in elite sports, she discovered that the challenges and responsibility within the Dutch Army suited her well. She joined the Infantry, where she became a sergeant and served for three years, further strengthening her discipline, resilience and leadership skills.

After completing her military service, she returned to elite sports and continued competing until 2018. A severe injury required her to shift direction, marking a defining moment in her career. She transitioned into entrepreneurship and successfully ran companies, gaining extensive experience in business operations, leadership and strategic decision-making.

Driven by the desire to create impact and support others, she later returned to military in an advisory role. Her unique combination of elite athletic performance, military structure and entrepreneurial experience shaped her perspective on motivation, performance and organisational growth.

In the beginning of 2025, Nikki embraced a new challenge as CEO of Burner Industries. In this role, she applies the lessons learned throughout her diverse career. With a naturally driven spirit, motivating presence and strong operational insight, she brings discipline, innovation and a clear vision to the company’s development.

Founder/ Business Development

Robin Headley

Robin originally started as a law student and needed some time to discover the challenges and rewards of serving and leading in the Dutch Army were more appealing to him. After finishing his study at the Defence Academy, he served as a platoon commander with the armored infantry from 2005 until 2008. Subsequently he served as a special operations team leader after finishing the Basic and Advanced Commando Course.

Robin switched to becoming a human resources advisor for the Defence Recruitment Agency after having been deployed on a mission three times. Simultaneously he started a master in Governance Studies, which he finished in 2016. His last posting was that of a liaison officer for the KCT at NLMARSOF. In 2017 Robin made a career move and became a Duty Officer for ProRail. A year later he went to join Merck Sharp & Dohme as an operations manager and later on was promoted to technical manager.

Now his focus is on Burner Industries, where he applies all the lessons learned from former positions. He has the operational experience to know what works and where to look for innovation.