During an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (EGM) of Accell Group, the Supervisory Board informed shareholders about the intention to appoint Ton Anbeek as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Effective as of 1 November 2017, the Accell Group Board of Directors will consist of four members: Ton Anbeek (CEO), Hielke Sybesma (CFO), Jeroen Snijders Blok (COO) and Jeroen Both (CSCO).
The intention to appoint Ton Anbeek as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors as of 1 November 2017 was announced in July 2017. The new appointment follows the confirmed departure in February of former CEO and Chairman René Takens.
As CEO of Accell Group, Anbeek will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy Accell Group announced earlier this year. As stated earlier by Ab Pasman, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Accell Group, “We are very pleased that we have found Ton Anbeek willing to join Accell Group as its new CEO. Ton Anbeek has experience in the field of marketing, sales, retail and omni-channel e-commerce. His experience combined with his personal integrity and leadership style make him very suitable to head Accell Group.”
Ton Anbeek started his professional career in 1987 at Unilever, where he held various positions in marketing and sales at various operating companies in the Netherlands and abroad. These positions included Global Marketing Director for all Unilever fabric softener brands and Managing Director at Unilever Mahgreb (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauretania). In early 2007 he joined Koninklijke Auping in Deventer as the company’s General Director; then, in early 2010, Anbeek was appointed CEO of Beter Bed Holding.
During the EGM it was announced that Aad Kuiper, a member of the Supervisory Board, will step down with immediate effect. As per a release from Accell Group, it was noted that ‘Kuiper can no longer combine the increased intensity of his work for Accell Group with his responsibilities at Hunter Douglas, and therefore ceases his duties as a member of the Supervisory Board with immediate effect.
The selection procedure for a new member of the Supervisory Board will now be started. Until the appointment of a new member, the Supervisory Board will consist of three members: Ab Pasman (Chairman of the Supervisory Board), Jan van den Belt (Vice-President of the Supervisory Board) and Peter Ernsting (Member of the Supervisory Board).
Accell Group NV focuses internationally on the mid-range and higher segments of the market for bicycles and bicycle parts & accessories. The company claims leading positions in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Finland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. In Europe, Accell Group is ‘the market leader in the bicycle market in terms of turnover’.
Accell Group’s best known brands are Batavus (Netherlands), Sparta (Netherlands), Koga (Netherlands), Loekie (Netherlands), Ghost (Germany), Haibike (Germany), Winora (Germany), Raleigh and Diamondback (UK, US, Canada), Lapierre (France), Tunturi (Finland), Atala (Italy), Redline (US) and XLC (international).
Accell Group and its subsidiaries employ approximately 3,000 people in 18 countries worldwide. The company has production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Hungary, Turkey and China. Accell Group products are sold in more than 70 countries. The company’s headquarters are located in Heerenveen (the Netherlands). Accell Group shares are traded on the official market of Euronext Amsterdam and included in the Amsterdam Small Cap index (AScX).
In 2016, Accell Group sold around 1.5 million bicycles and recorded turnover of over €1 billion.
