B&S Group has announced that CEO Bert Meulman is to leave the company for personal reasons and by mutual consent.

Moving forward, the Supervisory Board is proposing the appointment of Tako de Haan as new CEO and member of the Executive Board, pending shareholder approval. The nomination of De Haan will take place at the company’s Extraordinary General Meeting. This is scheduled for next month.

De Haan will join B&S Group from Toms Shoes in Los Angeles, USA, where he served as Chief Operations Officer. A Dutch national, he joined Mexx International B.V. in 1996 and subsequently took on leadership roles including Senior Vice President Supply & Operations.

CEO since 2004, Meulman has been part of the Group for 28 years, which includes electronics travel retailer Royal Capi-Lux. Having started his career in sales with a company within the B&S portfolio, he became a partner with that company three years later.

After becoming Managing Director of a group of companies that currently forms part of the HTG Segment, he was appointed as Group CEO in 2004.

‘UNIQUE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL CULTURE’

Jan Arie van Barneveld, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, B&S Group said: “Bert has provided the B&S Group with great leadership throughout the 16 years he served as CEO. Under his leadership, the company grew from a privately owned €300m ($337.3m) business to the nearly €2bn ($2.2bn) listed company it is today.

“We want to thank Bert for his vision and dedication during his long and successful career with the Group. We wish him all the best for the future.”

Meulman said: “I am proud of what we have achieved as a company in the years I have served as CEO. Together, we have created a unique and entrepreneurial culture that has driven company growth, long-term partnerships, supply chain innovation and ultimately our success. This job has been extremely fulfilling and impactful for my career.”

He added: “Due to private circumstances and the tech-oriented strategic direction the Group has entered, it is now a natural time for me to step back and reprioritise. I am confident that our people will continue their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm in delivering long-term value for the company and its stakeholders.”

On the imminent appointment of De Haan as Meulmann’s successor van Barneveld remarked: “The succession of a CEO with a long and successful track record is naturally a challenging role to take on. As B&S Group has entered a critical phase in its strategic development towards digital transformation, it takes deep technical knowledge and transformational leadership to lead the company through that phase.

“We are pleased that with Tako, we have recruited a tech-oriented leader with a strong track record in value chain optimisation driven by digitisation and efficiency.

“He brings extensive experience in running successful commercial operations through his focus on organisational efficiency, digitised supply chains and sustainable bottom line growth. This, combined with his energising leadership style and focus on people development, makes him well suited to lead B&S Group forward.”