After 26 years with Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) and almost 16 years as president and CEO of the company, Loek de Vries has, in close consultation with the Supervisory Board, decided to stand down. The Supervisory Board will shortly be considering how to fill the vacancy left by De Vries. The Supervisory Board has invited De Vries to join the Supervisory Board, and he has expressed his willingness to accept.

De Vries will therefore be nominated as a member of the Supervisory Board during the next General Meeting of Shareholders. De Vries began his career at TenCate in Almelo, the Netherlands, in 1990 as group director, TenCate Advanced Textiles and was rapidly able to carve out a career. He has held various positions, including, since August 23, 2000, that of CEO and president of the Executive Board. As CEO, De Vries was successful in bringing about the complete transformation of TenCate into an advanced technical textile multinational, with a leading position in key global niches, such as synthetic turf, composites, geotextiles and protective fabrics. 

De Vries says: “Once the public offer and the delisting of TenCate had successfully been completed, the time had come for me to assess the situation. The new phase that TenCate is now entering is a logical time to make way for the next generation.” 

Jan Albers, chairman of the Supervisory Board, says: “We are extremely grateful to Mr. De Vries for everything that he has done for the company in the 26 years that he has been connected with TenCate; TenCate owes him a great deal. We respect his decision to stand down and we look forward to welcoming him as a member of the Supervisory Board of TenCate.”