Renate Roeleveld - CEO of The Golf Course Association of Europe

Renate Roeleveld didn't grow up in a golfing family, nor did she dream of the fairways as a child. Instead, her path to becoming a leading voice in European golf began with a hospitality management degree from Hotel School The Hague and a newspaper ad. In 2000, answering a friend's encouragement to "just go and venture," she took a sales and events role at Berg Golf, the Netherlands' first multi-course owner. That decision launched a 25-year career where she has become a champion of inclusion, sustainability, and innovation, currently serving as the CEO of the Golf Course Association of Europe (GCAE).

Drawing on her hospitality roots, Renate views golf not as a mere sport but as a people-centric "experience business"—a philosophy that has guided her work as a golf course manager and consultant. Her passion for lowering barriers led her to create "Fab Friday" (Fabulous Friday) at her home course, a one-hour weekly program designed to fit into busy women's schedules. That grassroots initiative became the blueprint for the national "Women's Golf Project" in the Netherlands, proving that talking with potential golfers, rather than about them, unlocks rapid growth.

Now at the helm of the GCAE, Renate represents over 1,300 golf facilities across 12 European countries, from the member-owned courses of Scandinavia to the tourist-driven resorts of Spain and Portugal. She is a vocal advocate for short-format courses, data-driven sustainability (including robotic mowing and pesticide-free maintenance), and bringing more women into leadership positions across the industry. Whether breaking her leg at the 2018 NYC Marathon and still finishing, or returning to run it again in 2024, Renate brings the same resilient, forward-driving energy to shaping the future of golf in Europe and beyond.