Marleen Vaesen is the new CEO of Van de Velde

Van de Velde has announced that Marleen Vaesen is appointed with immediate effect as CEO of the company replacing Erwin Van Laethem, who will leave the company in mutual agreement. The company said that Vaesen, who has been a board member of Van de Velde since 2012, is well acquainted with the company and can rely on extensive experience.

Commenting on Laethem’s departure and Vaesen’s appointment as the company’s new CEO, Herman Van de Velde said in a statement: "We thank Erwin Van Laethem for his contribution to the digitalization of the business and the improvement of the processes. The announced change is the next step to put our brand experience and our customers at the center. Marleen Vaesen is a good choice for this due to the fact that she has been a board member of the company for years."

Vaesen started her career in marketing at Procter & Gamble and subsequently at Sara Lee / Douwe Egberts where she was responsible for the launch of Senseo. The company added that during her tenure she took on international responsibilities for marketing and innovation. Vaesen was also CEO of Greenyard during five years. After the merger in 2016, she transformed the group into an integrated company.