Zaandam, the Netherlands – Ahold today announced the appointment of Jan Ernst de Groot as Chief Legal Officer and member of the company’s Executive Committee. Jan Ernst will start on February 1, reporting to CEO Dick Boer, and will be based at Ahold’s headquarters in Zaandam, the Netherlands.
Jan Ernst de Groot will be responsible for Ahold’s legal affairs, governance and compliance, and he will also head up responsible retailing and product integrity.
Dick Boer, Ahold CEO, said: “I am excited that Jan Ernst is joining our company as Chief Legal Officer. He brings highly relevant global commercial experience as a general counsel. In addition, Jan Ernst has strong business and sustainability acumen, and is an experienced board room advisor. He will provide key insights as we continue to execute our Reshaping Retail strategy.”
Jan Ernst de Groot, (Dutch, 51) joins Ahold from TNT Express, the international courier delivery services company, where he was General Counsel and Managing Director External Affairs & Corporate Responsibility. Prior to TNT Express, he worked at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in a wide range of business and legal roles, most recently as Managing Director and member of the Board of Management. He was also responsible for the development and implementation of KLM’s sustainability strategy. Jan Ernst started his career at Dutch law firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek.
Following the announcement of October 14, 2014, Lodewijk Hijmans van den Bergh will be stepping down as member of the Board of Management as of March 1, 2015.
Cautionary notice
This press release includes forward-looking statements, which do not refer to historical facts but refer to expectations based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those included in such statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond Ahold's ability to control or estimate precisely, such as discussed in Ahold's public filings and other disclosures. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Koninklijke Ahold N.V. does not assume any obligation to update any public information or forward-looking statements in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. Outside the Netherlands, Koninklijke Ahold N.V., being its registered name, presents itself under the name of "Royal Ahold" or simply "Ahold".
