IJsvogel Retail is a Dutch privately-owned omnichannel pet retailer, operating 180 Pets Place stores in The Netherlands and a state-of-the-art online store. Around eighty percent of the stores is company-owned and the remainder is franchised. In one-third of the stores, the company also sells garden products under the BoerenBond (“Farmers Union”) brand.

Ranzijn garden & pets is a Dutch privately-owned multichannel retailer with fifteen 1,500-15,000 m2 stores in The Netherlands and a web shop selling over 12,000 products. Apart from stocking plants, pottery, garden tools and pet food at large-format stores, the company operates 14 state-of-the-art pet clinics within its stores and offers a wide range of pet services, like dog-wash and grooming. The store network covers a large part of the country and the web shop operates nationwide.Reporting to the Supervisory Board, I was CEO of the company and chaired the Executive Board. Under my leadership, the company nearly doubled its footprint and added 8 new pet clinics. Furthermore, a new city store format was developed and launched in two major cities (Amsterdam and Rotterdam(. Finally, a new ERP system was implemented, integrating offline and online operations and facilitating further growth. The company employed over 700 people. Representing the company, I was Board Member of the Dutch association of Garden Centers (Tuinbranche.nl).

Walgreens Boots Alliance (www.walgreensbootsalliance.com) is the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise in the world. The Company, with a presence in more than 25 countries, employs over 370,000 people and is the largest retail pharmacy, health and daily living destination in the USA and Europe, with over 12,800 stores in 11 countries. Furthermore, it is the the largest global pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution network with over 340 distribution centers delivering to more than 180,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centers and hospitals in 19 countries.As member of the Executive Team in The Netherlands, I was P&L responsible for the 65 pharmacies the Company owned in The Netherlands, employing over 1000 people. In this capacity I was also Treasurer and Board Member of the Dutch association of pharmacy multiples (ASKA). Furthermore I managed the franchise organization that supported 175 independent franchisees with branding, health & beauty assortment, IT systems, marketing & communication, shared services and negotiations with health insurers, reporting to the Supervisory Board of a joint venture between the Company and its Dutch franchisees.

M.H. Alshaya (www.alshaya.com) operates Next, American Eagle, Mothercare, Claire's, MAC, Justice, The Body Shop, Payless ShoeSource, Pinkberry and Starbucks Coffee in Russia with more than 200 stores in 10 cities.In this general management role, I was involved in all aspects of the business, both front and back office and have been responsible for the HR, Finance, IT, Logistics and Marketing functions. Furthermore I managed the Health & Beauty Division (operating The Body Shop and M.A.C.) and the Payless Shoes business.

M.H.Alshaya (www.alshaya.com) is one of the biggest franchise retailers in the world and operates more than 3500 stores in the Middle East, Russia, Turkey, Central Europe and Northern Africa. The company operates over 80 international retail brands in Fashion, Footwear, Health & Beauty, Optical Retail, Food Retail, Pharmacy, Home Furnishing and Office Supplies. As a multi-brand franchise retailer, Alshaya operates brands like Starbucks, H&M, American Eagle, Express, Next, Mothercare, Topshop, River Island, Oasis, Payless ShoeSource, Claire's, Coast, Footlocker, Debenhams, Pearle Opticians, Vision Express, Solaris, The Body Shop, M.A.C., Boots, Office Depot, Dean & Deluca, Pottery Barn and Pinkberry.As Managing Director for the Optics Divison, I was P&L responsible for all optical retail activities, operating the brands Pearle Opticians, Vision Express and Solaris. I developed the retail network from 2 stores in 2 countries to 25 stores all across the Middle East. Currently the division operates over 50 stores.

Grand Vision is one of the leading optical retailers in the world, with 7000+ stores in 40+ countries and a revenue of over 3,5B Euro. When I started at the company after university, the company operated 100 stores in The Netherlands and 70 stores in Belgium. In the following 10 years, the company developed into a multinational with over 1500 stores all across Europe, mainly through acquisitions. In the first years I was responsible for Marketing of Pearle Opticiens in The Netherlands. Subsequently I became involved in supporting newly acquired businesses in Austria and Germany,. During the first year after acquiring the Dutch optical retailer Groeneveld Opticians I was involved in the integration of the business and responsible for the rebrand into Eye Wish opticians. In the last years I supported the operating companies in Italy, Poland and Belgium in marketing and advertising.