Paul de Krom (59) is appointed as the new CEO of Louwman Group from April 2023 as the successor of John Heller, who will retire from his current role as CEO after six successful years. After a period at Shell and in national politics, De Krom was Chairman of the Board of Directors & CEO of TNO, the organization for Applied Scientific Research (Netherlands), from 2015 to 2022. Paul de Krom wishes to fully focus on his new role at Louwman and therefore he is currently stepping down as chair from a number of additional roles, amongst others at the Royal Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI), Netherlands Distribution (NDL), organization for Public Transport Companies of the Netherlands (OV-NL), as well as his role as boardmember of GroenkrachtNL.
Paul de Krom: “I am incredibly proud that I can help shape the future of this wonderful family business. Louwman’s vision and ambition appeals to me enormously and is a perfect fit with my own interest and passion for mobility. Both at Shell, as well as in my role as spokesperson for mobility in the Dutch Parliament, at TNO and as chairman of NDL and OV-NL and a member of the Mobility Alliance, I have pleaded on many occasions for the importance of accessibility and mobility for everyone. I am very much looking forward to further strengthening Louwman’s position. A wonderful challenge that I eagerly await.”
Confidence in the future
Eric Louwman, President Louwman Group: “We are very pleased to have found a great successor for John. John has always been fully committed to everyone, at all levels of our company. Naturally, we thank John for his enormous passion and drive during these past years in his role as CEO. We look forward to the arrival of Paul, who brings a unique combination of extensive managerial experience and people-driven leadership. We are convinced that his leadership, vision and network will greatly contribute to our brand positioning ‘Mobility for Life’ and the further development of Louwman as provider of mobility for everyone. I am proud that our family business, also thanks to the efforts of our employees, celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and I look forward to what the next century will bring us.”
John Heller steps down as CEO
John Heller confidently hands over his assignment as CEO to his successor after six successful years at Louwman. “We have achieved a lot in the past six years. I can proudly say that we have brought more mobility happiness to the Netherlands, Sweden and the Czech Republic. I look back on an enormous development that has been set in motion and I am proud of all colleagues who passionately dedicate themselves to this every day. I also wish to express my admiration for a very involved Louwman Family who made this possible”, says John Heller. In addition to staying closely involved with Louwman Group and other organizations in various roles, he intends to spend more time with his family and other activities such as his art gallery and sculpture garden.
Photograph: Paul de Krom