Dutch flower marketplace and growers’ association Royal FloraHolland (RFH) has announced that Steven van Schilfgaarde will step down as CEO at the end of this year, with his role taken over by Executive Board member Pieter Bootsma, who is currently Chief Value Officer.
Steven van Schilfgaarde, who is stepping down at his own request, joined the board of RFH in 2016 and became CEO in January 2018. He commented, “When I took office, RFH still had all the characteristics of a traditional auction company. Now it is a platform cooperative with both a digital and a logistics platform. Floriday has reached maturity, our logistics are organised fundamentally differently and Central Auctioning has largely been implemented.
“With recent milestones such as the covenant for Floriday and a renewed organisation, now is a logical time to hand over the baton so that my successor and the renewed management team can continue to shape growth on the basis of the strategy outlined. I am incredibly proud of our employees and find and consider it an honour to have been able to take RFH and the Netherlands as the hub of the floriculture sector to a new phase.”
Speaking about the future, Pieter Bootsma added, “Our RFH platform, digital and logistics, is literally the heart of our organisation. The needs of our members, grower-suppliers and buyers are at the heart of our cooperative. From early 2025, we will work from a revised organisational structure and renewed management team. We will be fully geared to the specific needs of growers and buyers through Grower Value Management and Buyer Partnership Management. With this step, I expect to realise more value for our growers in the future as well. A wide range of trading opportunities coupled with efficient logistics. In addition, we will focus on shaping and completing a future plan for an attractive and sustainable healthy cooperative.”
RFH has also strengthened its management team with the appointment of Martin de Ruiter as Chief Buyer Partnership Development & International (BPD&I), and Thomas Bugel as Chief Grower Value Management (GVM).
Martin joined RFH in 2000 and is currently the commercial manager of Floriday. In his new role he will focus on creating joint growth in close partnership with buyers on the RFH platform. Thomas has worked for Royal FloraHolland since 2018 and will be focused on creating value for growers in his new role. As part of the new management structure, the position of Chief Grower Officer will be discontinued, with current incumbent Claudia Hölzel leaving the organization on 1 January 2025.
