Job Witteman, founder and CEO of the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), will soon be leaving the company, ceding his position to the current management team whilst they seek out a suitable successor.

The AMS-IX was unofficially launched in 1994 as a not-for-profit organization by a group of carriers and subsequently established in 1997 as an association. Witteman was one of the association’s founding board members, and it was he who created AMS-IX as a limited company in 2000, and has since served as its CEO.

Growing in Amsterdam 

The company has grown to be the world’s largest Internet exchange, and now provides IP interconnection and peering services to over 900 customers, reaching peak traffic at 5.5 Tbps. The company also operates seven Internet platforms, three Internet exchanges in Hong Kong, India and the Caribbean; and its US subsidiary manages Internet exchanges in the Bay Area, Chicago and New York.

Last year it achieved 30 percent year-on-year growth and a 15 percent revenue increase over the same period.

Witteman stated that “after 17.5 years of helping build AMS-IX, it is time for me personally to seek new challenges and I want to see where I can add value with my knowledge and experience. With great confidence, this can now happen, knowing that the company is in top condition. I am very proud of what we have achieved over the past years.”

“I have seen the Internet grow from the time it was still in its infancy, to a place where people have access to the Internet on their mobile phones and nobody can imagine a world without it. I am very proud that I have been able to contribute to this success and development and reflect on a wonderful career in this still fast-growing market. I am confident AMS-IX will keep its leading position for many years to come.”