Jan Ernst de Groot was born in Brasschaat (Belgium) in 1963.

Mr. De Groot studied Dutch law at the University of Leiden after completing his pre-university studies (VWO-B). He completed his military service as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy in Den Helder. He then worked as an attorney at the offices of De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in The Hague.

Mr. De Groot joined KLM on February 1, 1992, as a negotiator of international market access. He then became head of Commercial Alliances for the Passenger Division. In 1998 he was appointed head of Labor Relations at KLM. In 2001, he was appointed head of Government & Industry Affairs.

In 2003, Government & Industry Affairs, and Legal Affairs and the General Secretariat were combined under his supervision. Mr. De Groot served as General Counsel and Company Secretary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from 2003 to 2005. He was then appointed Executive Vice President Corporate Center in Augustus 2005.

Effective July 5, 2007, Mr. De Groot was appointed as Managing Director and member of the Board of Management of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Mr. De Groot is also a member of:

• the Executive Board of the Dutch employers’ association VNO-NCW;
• the International Advisory Board of the International Institute of Air & Space Law at the University of Leiden;
• the General Management Board of KennisKring;