Marieke van de Rakt: Yoast CEO, Career, Family and Net Worth
Marieke van de Rakt built her career in academia before becoming one of the key figures behind Yoast’s growth and eventual billion-dollar-industry impact. She holds a PhD in social sciences from Radboud University and once taught and researched at several Dutch universities.
She stepped away from academia in 2013 to work full-time at Yoast, the company her husband Joost had started three years earlier.
By September 2019, she had taken over as CEO and guided the firm through rapid growth to roughly 140 employees. Under her leadership, Yoast sold to Newfold Digital in 2021.
Since then, she has focused on Emilia Capital, the investment vehicle she runs with Joost, as well as projects around storytelling, branding and female leadership.
The couple has four children and lives in Wijchen. Like Joost, her personal net worth is not publicly itemised, but the Yoast sale and ongoing angel investments in digital companies form the core of their shared portfolio.
She still teaches online marketing part-time and stays active in local politics.
Her career stands out because it combines academic research, company leadership and investment work. After helping steer Yoast through its major growth years and sale, van de Rakt has continued building a portfolio around technology, branding and entrepreneurship.
