Dümmen Orange Getting New CEO

Chris Beytes

With CEO Biense Visser retiring January 1 after six years with the company, Dümmen Orange will need a new leader and they’ve already found him: Hugo Noordhoek Hegt. Hugo formally joined the company November 1, allowing him time to learn his way around the company, its global operations and, most importantly says Dümmen Orange, its clients. For his part, Biense will continue to support the company as a member of its Supervisory Board.

Hugo, 58, is a Dutch native with a master’s degree in Law from Leiden University. He gained experience in running a multinational business through 17 years with paint and coatings manu-facturer Akzo Nobel, including stints in China, Singapore and the U.S. He also has start-up experience with a pair of companies called Fintech Foundry and X-Infex B.V.

What does Dümmen Orange see in him? “Strategic agility, business acumen, vision and leadership,” says Jean-Baptiste Wautier, chairman of Dümmen Orange’s Supervisory Board.

It’ll be interesting to see how a paint and coatings guy adapts to the world of living, breathing products that beautify the world in a more natural way. He did say in the press release, “I’m honored and grateful to the board for the opportunity to lead this exceptional company of creative, dedicated and talented professionals. We produce innovative, relevant and beautiful products every day, which impact the world far beyond where we live. This is a terrific opportunity that any leader would welcome.” GT