Kees de Kat, a former buying manager at Dutch retail chain Super de Boer, has been nominated as the new chief executive officer of leading Netherlands-based fresh produce supplier Royal Fruitmasters.
The appointment, which is due to be approved at the company's next general meeting on 27 April, brings to an end speculation surrounding the search for a successor to former CEO Rian Verwoert, who stepped down unexpectedly in November 2010.
Since that time, Fruitmasters has been led by supervisory board chairman and interim chief executive Rien van Doorn, who will continue to head up the group until Mr De Kat's proposed appointment has been confirmed.
Since leaving Super de Boer at the end of last year, Mr De Kat has been working as head of Fruitmasters Growers, a function the company said he would continue to perform alongside his new duties as chief executive.
'The supervisory board is confident that in Kees de Kat it has found the candidate with the right knowledge and experience,' the company said in a statement. 'We wish him and the management team every success.'
Jan Blankers, Sjors Kruiper and Leonard Kampschöer will continue in their current roles as members of Fruitmasters' senior management team.
