Press release

Heerlen, NL, 21 Mar 2017 08:00 CET

Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, today announces that at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 3 May 2017, the DSM Supervisory Board will nominate Mr. Dimitri de Vreeze for re-appointment to the Managing Board. It will also propose the appointment of two new Supervisory Board members: Mr. John Ramsay and Mr. Frits van Paasschen.

Dimitri de Vreeze

Dimitri de Vreeze (1967) has been a member of the Managing Board since 2013. He is responsible for the businesses in DSM’s Materials cluster and for Group Sourcing and Operations & Responsible Care, as well as overseeing DSM’s activities in the Netherlands and Asia. Since 2015, he has also been steering the successful implementation of DSM’s cost reduction and efficiency program for its support functions. The Supervisory Board proposes to reappoint Dimitri on the basis of his managerial and leadership qualities and his contribution to DSM’s Managing Board and Executive Committee, as demonstrated during his first term as a Managing Board member. Dimitri has added great value to DSM over the years.

The Supervisory Board furthermore proposes strengthening its ranks with the appointment of two new members, also in view of the fact that Mr. Pierre Hochuli will reach the end of his third and final term at the upcoming AGM, as well as with an eye to forward planning for the Audit Committee, since that committee’s current Chair Mr. Tom de Swaan will retire from the Supervisory Board at the AGM in 2018. The appointments will also broaden the Supervisory Board’s expertise, including in the area of digital and new business models.

John Ramsay

John Ramsay (1957, British national) is a finance leader with extensive international experience and a proven track record of providing strategic and operational leadership to large global organizations. Mr. Ramsay built a career spanning 32 years at Syngenta AG and its legacy companies before retiring in September 2016, holding the position of CFO from 2007 as well as leading the company for a period as interim CEO. Mr. Ramsay also brings with him long experience in emerging markets, having spent many years based in Hong Kong and Malaysia and working extensively in Latin America. He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. His appointment will strengthen the Supervisory Board in the area of finance.

Frits van Paasschen

Frits van Paasschen (1961, dual Dutch and US nationalities) has deep knowledge of the FMCG and service industries, having served as CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Coors Brewing Company. Mr. Van Paasschen also held several management positions at Nike, ultimately becoming Nike’s President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Mr. Van Paasschen is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Apollo Hotels (Netherlands), member of the Board of Advisors of Rutberg & Company, Advisory Board member of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (United Arab Emirates) and member of the Global Advisory Board of the Indian School of Hospitality. Besides this he is also an advisor to CitizenM Hotels and a number of tech companies in the Netherlands and the US. Frits van Paasschen is the author of the recently published book ‘The Disruptors Feast - How to avoid being devoured in today's rapidly changing global economy’. He will strengthen the Supervisory Board in the area of (new) business models and digital.