Virgil Niekoop was born on January 9, 1981, in Paramaribo, Suriname. His father, Mario Niekoop, worked at the Hospital (A.Z.), and his mother, Carmen Niekoop-Veldkamp, worked at the insurance company Assuria, formerly known as NEN. Virgil has a sister, Serafija Niekoop, who was crowned Miss Suriname in 1999. The bond between Virgil and his sister is very harmonious, and they always support each other, no matter what. 

Virgil describes his childhood as very good and peaceful. He was raised in a complete family where his parents were always together. Virgil grew up on Joerawanstraat in Uitvlugt, which was an intimate community (close-knit). He often visited his grandparents at Reeberg (Reeberg is situated near the village Koewarasan in Suriname), which he always looked forward to. At Reeberg, his grandfather was involved in livestock farming and planted Brazilian papaya, which he was the first to introduce in Suriname. Virgil was partly raised by his paternal grandmother, Grandma Ilse Niekoop, who lived in Limesgracht. He spent part of his youth with her as well. Some highlights of his childhood include prankish playful activities he engaged in at the Rodastreet, such as transferring fish from the gutter to his father’s aquarium and catching birds. During New Year’s, chicks were also cruelly killed with firecrackers. But these were all typical childhood activities in which he engaged.

At Bernadette School, he was quite a difficult (troublesome) boy and didn’t receive the attention he truly needed. He was seen more as a difficult child seeking attention, which was perceived as troublesome by the teachers at the school. At a young age, Virgil experienced bullying at school he was placed in the “slow” row by the teachers instead of being treated like everyone else. This led to him seeing a psychologist as a young boy. The psychologist provided the necessary support, even visiting the school and informing the teachers of the pedagogical skills that needed to be applied. Despite some improvements, there were still issues with the director of the school. As a precautionary measure from the psychologist, Virgil was transferred to Petunia School. There, the treatment was more pleasant, because as a child, he finally received the attention and support he needed at school. This resulted in him completing classes from the fifth grade of GLO to NATIN, where Virgil studied Land Surveying.

His Impact

Golden Rule: Trust your abilities, have faith in yourself, and pay attention to your instincts. Try to surround yourself with people who have experience in your sector or who can teach you a lot after you’ve made a decision. Remain consistent in your decisions and make an effort to be honest at all times. Always invest in your business; it is what looks out for you. Don’t spend money on unnecessary things like luxury before investing in your company. If you are depending on human resources necessitates possessing a certain charisma and being understanding at all times. If you have employees, it’s important that you ensure their well-being and make sure they get paid before you and your fixed costs. Virgil also shares that it is important to have values as a person and stay true to yourself, your values and boundaries, even when doing business.