SPAR Netherlands has appointed Caroline Oosterbaan as the new chair of the supervisory board of SPAR Holding B.V., effective 1 September. She succeeds former chair Saskia van Walsum, who stepped down from the position after eight years, following the expiry of two terms of appointment.

John van der Ent, CEO of SPAR Netherlands, commented on the appointment, “With Saskia van Walsum, SPAR has made tremendous progress in branding, profiling and market growth over the last eight years. The entire SPAR family is very grateful to Saskia. We are pleased to have found a worthy replacement for our current chair, Saskia van Walsum, in Caroline Oosterbaan. Her extensive knowledge and experience in strategy, finance, entrepreneurship and leadership are valuable for the phase in which SPAR finds itself. We are convinced that she can bring a good and critical approach to the role as chair.”

Caroline Oosterbaan

Caroline Oosterbaan brings extensive experience in leadership positions, as well as supervisory and advisory roles. Currently, she serves as chair of the supervisory board at Westland Kaas, chair of the audit committee at AutoBinck Group, member of the supervisory board of EUR Holding, and vice-chair of the advisory board at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM).

Previously, she was a member of the executive committee of NIBC Bank for five years. She began her career at ABN AMRO in mergers and acquisitions and then worked as a strategy consultant and entrepreneur before joining NIBC in 2013.

“I am looking forward to working with the management team and my fellow supervisory board members to further build SPAR sustainably into the ‘King of Convenience’: to be there in every place, every moment and for whoever you are and thus make life a little bit easier.”

She added, “I have come to know SPAR Netherlands as a great organisation with a driven management team and supervisory board. With its small-scale (neighbourhood) stores for everyday convenience, SPAR contributes to the quality of life for its customers, profitable operations for entrepreneurs, and a livable neighbourhood community. That is something I would like to contribute to.”

Other members of the supervisory board include Anita Wetterhahn-Reijnen, John Kruijssen, Duncan Hoy, and Rob van der Sluijs.

Source: SPAR Netherlands

Read more news from SPAR Netherlands

About SPAR Netherlands

The SPAR brand was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by the Dutch wholesaler Adriaan van Well. It was established as a voluntary chain of grocers under the name DESPAR – an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig. SPAR Netherlands’ main distribution centre in Waalwijk supports licensed independent retailers operating throughout the country.