After obtaining his degree in law at the Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, he was an active participant in organising the urban redevelopment activities in Maastricht and the spatial planning and economic development of Meerssen, starting in the second half of the 1970s. In 1988, he was appointed director of Urban Development and Zoning in Maastricht. In this position, he was the municipal official with primary responsibility for various large-scale projects, including the Céramique and Markt/Maas (Market/Meuse) projects.