DE KUYPER Royal Distillers appoints DIRK-JAN STOPPELENBURG AS CHAIRMAN of THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Schiedam, 29 September 2022. De Kuyper Royal Distillers’ Supervisory Board Chairman Jan Willem Baud has completed two four-year terms and in line with the governance code he has stepped down in September 2022. His successor as Supervisory Board Chairman is Dirk-Jan Stoppelenburg.
“I am very pleased to welcome Dirk-Jan as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. He brings a wealth of experience that is especially relevant and valuable for the upcoming phase of accelerating our growth”, says Mark de Witte, CEO of De Kuyper. “Our 327-year-old family company has undergone an impressive business transformation over the past seven years. I want to take the opportunity and thank Jan Willem sincerely for his imperative support and guidance during this very important period for the company, which is now well positioned for its next growth phase”.
Dirk-Jan Stoppelenburg, 55, brings extensive business and governance experience to De Kuyper. He began his career at the Swedish food packaging company Tetra Pak where he spent fifteen years in leadership positions in countries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. His last role at Tetra Pak was as Managing Director of Tetra Pak Benelux. Dirk-Jan then made an unusual transfer, becoming CEO of the Swedish fashion company GANT, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. After six years at GANT he became CEO of the Dutch fashion company Scotch & Soda, which he managed for five years. Stoppelenburg has over the years also held several Supervisory Board positions and is currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Mirage Retail Group (MRG), the owner of well-known Dutch retail chains Blokker, BCC and Intertoys. What Tetra Pak, GANT and MRG have in common is that they are all family-owned businesses.
“I am keen to return to my roots in the beverage industry and look forward to supporting De Kuyper’s long-term growth and fulfilling its great vision to ‘Own the cocktail’. I am convinced that the advantages of a family business will drive these ambitions”, Stoppelenburg says.
”The supervisory board is pleased to welcome Dirk-Jan as chairman at a key moment for the company. Thanks to the profound changes led by the management and under the guidance of Jan-Willem in recent years, De Kuyper’s growth prospects are exciting and we look forward to writing a new chapter in the company’s long history with Dirk-Jan, while remaining true to the values that have made our family-owned business successful and exceptionally sustainable”, says Camilla De Kuyper on behalf of the Supervisory Board.