LeasePlan appoints new managing board members

Gijsbert de Zoeten has been appointed as the company’s new chief financial officer (CFO).

He steps up from his current position as SVP finance of LeasePlan’s European leasing business.

He previously held various finance roles at Unilever, including finance director of Unilever Foods Brazil, global finance director of Unilever Food Solutions (B2B) and executive vice president finance of Unilever Europe.

He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Groningen University and a postgraduate executive master’s degree in controlling (RC) from VU University of Amsterdam. He is a member of the supervisory board of the Technical University of Delft.

Franca Vossen is LeasePlan’s new chief risk officer (CRO), responsible for risk, compliance, privacy, regulatory affairs and corporate social responsibility. She joins LeasePlan from DLL, the leasing division of the Rabobank Group.

She has held various international senior management positions in finance and risk at global organisations including ABN AMRO, Fortis, ING and DLL.

At ABN AMRO, she led the worldwide implementation of Sarbanes Oxley legislation and conducted a review of the compliance, legal and risk functions of ABN AMRO Asset Management. She was also CRO at ABN AMRO Asset Management and at Fortis Investments.

Prior to joining LeasePlan, she was CRO and executive vice president of DLL, the leasing arm of Rabobank, where she managed the global risk function.

Vossen holds a master’s degree in Russian and German Studies from Leiden University, and an MBA from Maastricht University (EuroMBA). She has also held various supervisory board positions and successfully completed the supervisory board programme of Erasmus University Rotterdam.

They take on most of the responsibilities held by chief financial and risk officer Guus Stoelinga, who stepped down after more than 25 years with the company.

To prepare for its next stage of development, LeasePlan considers it essential to have dedicated CRO and CFO functions.

Guus Stoelinga will continue to provide advice and support to LeasePlan’s managing board until 1 May 2018.

LeasePlan CEO Tex Gunning said: “Becoming more competitive in terms of cost, service and speed to market, while ensuring the effective management of risk and compliance, are crucial enablers of our what’s next journey.

“I am therefore delighted to welcome both Gijsbert and Franca to the LeasePlan managing board.

“Together, they will ensure we deliver what’s next in the key areas of finance, risk and compliance, and help take LeasePlan to its next stage of development and sustainable growth.

“Following these new appointments, LeasePlan has one of the most diverse senior management teams in the Netherlands.”

With immediate effect, LeasePlan’s managing board comprises:

• Tex Gunning – chairman and chief executive officer 
• Marco van Kalleveen – chief operating officer Europe 
• Gijsbert de Zoeten – chief financial officer
• Yolanda Paulissen – chief strategic finance and investor relations officer 
• Franca Vossen – chief risk officer