SPAR Netherlands has appointed Caroline Oosterbaan as the new chair of the supervisory board of SPAR Holding B.V., effective 1 September.
Oosterbaan succeeds Saskia van Walsum, who has stepped down from the position after eight years, following the the expiry of two terms of appointment.
Commenting on the appointment, John van der Ent, the chief executive of SPAR Netherlands, stated, "With Saskia van Walsum, SPAR has made tremendous progress in branding, profiling and market growth over the last eight years. For this, the entire SPAR family is very grateful to Saskia.
"We are pleased to have found a worthy replacement [...] in Caroline Oosterbaan. Her extensive knowledge and experience in strategy, finance, entrepreneurship and leadership are valuable for the phase in which SPAR Holding finds itself. We are convinced that she can bring a good and critical approach to the role of chair."
Caroline Oosterbaan
Currently, Oosterbaan 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 of 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.
Oosterbaan stated, "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.
"I have come to know SPAR as a great organisation with a driven management team and supervisory board. With its small-scale (neighbourhood) shops for everyday convenience, SPAR contributes to the quality of life for its customers, profitable operations for entrepreneurs, and a liveable 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.
