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Structure and responsibilities

GrandVision has a two-tier governance structure consisting of a Management Board and a Supervisory Board. Currently, the Management Board consists of the CEO and the CFO, while the Supervisory Board is made up of four Supervisory Directors.

Management Board

The Management Board is responsible for the achievement of GrandVision’s objectives, including those related to the areas of strategy, policy, quality and sustainability as well as the day-to-day operation of the Company. In performing its duties, the Management Board is guided by the interests of GrandVision and all of its stakeholders.

Supervisory Board

The Supervisory Board oversees GrandVision’s overall performance, including the policies pursued and results achieved by the Management Board. It monitors the Company’s financial situation and reviews the financial statements and the strategy pursued by the Management Board. It approves important proposals for capital expenditures, acquisitions, divestments and changes to financial and other corporate policies, as well as the annual budget and long term plan.

The Supervisory Board also has the responsibility to evaluate the performance of the Management Board and the CEO and CFO individually. It proposes any changes to the composition of the Management Board which it deems necessary to the General Meeting. The Supervisory Board is also responsible for reviewing its own performance and proposing any changes in its composition to the General Meeting. The Supervisory Board ensures that the Company’s policies are formulated and pursued in the interests of all of GrandVision’s stakeholders and that these policies are sustainable and meet ethical standards.

The Supervisory Board appoints an Audit Committee, a Nomination Committee and a Remuneration Committee from among its members. The Supervisory Directors have been carefully selected to ensure that they offer GrandVision a comprehensive range of relevant experience in areas such as international retail, customer service, supply chain management, technology and finance.

Management Board

  • Stephan Borchert

    A German national, Mr. Borchert joined GrandVision as Management Board member on 15 January 2018 and was appointed as CEO per 28 February 2018. He has in depth retail experience with a variety of service-oriented retailers. Prior to joining GrandVision, he was EMEA president of Sephora. Mr. Borchert began his professional career at fashion retailer Peek & Cloppenburg and then became a partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. He went on to become president of Red Earth in Hong Kong and managing director of the international business of multinational cosmetics company Douglas. Subsequently, he became member of the Executive Board at Celesio, a German healthcare and pharmaceutical company owning pharmacies in numerous countries. He holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Dortmund.

    • Willem Eelman

      CFO

      A Dutch national, is the former CFO and Chief Operations Transformation Officer of C&A Europe, a leading clothing retailer in Europe. Prior to joining C&A, he held several senior roles at Unilever, including CFO Europe and its Chief Information Officer. In addition, Willem Eelman has been a member of GrandVision’s Supervisory Board since 2011 and has been acting as Chairman of the Audit Committee since 2011. Mr. Eelman stepped down from GrandVision’s Supervisory Board on 2 April 2019.

      Supervisory Board

      • Cornelis (Kees) van der Graaf

        A Dutch national, Mr. van der Graaf is a former member of Unilever’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He holds non-executive director positions at Basic Fit, Carlsberg and EnPro. He is founder and Chairman of FHSD Unlimited, a bio-tech start-up.
         

        • Chairman
        • First term since IPO: 2015
        • Reappointment: 2018
        • Current term of office: up to and including the 2022 Annual General Meeting
        •  Member of the Nomination Committee
        •  Member of the Remuneration Committee
        •  Year of birth: 1950

        • Melchert (Mel) Groot

          A Dutch national, Mr. Groot is Chairman of the Executive Board of HAL Holding N.V. and the former CEO of GrandVision SA and Pearle Europe B.V. He serves on the Supervisory Board of Safilo, the world’s second largest manufacturer and distributor of frames and sunglasses. In addition, he is Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Koninklijke Vopak N.V. and a member of the Supervisory Board of Anthony Veder Group N.V.
           

          • Vice-Chairman
          • Non-independent director
          • First term since IPO: 2015
          • Reappointment: 2019
          • Current term of office: up to and including the 2023 Annual General Meeting
          • Chairman of the Nomination Committee
          • Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
          • Interim member of the Audit Committee
          • Year of birth: 1959

          • Peter Bolliger

            A Swiss national, Mr. Bolliger is the former CEO of UK shoe retailer Clarks. Before joining Clarks, he was the Managing Director of Harrods. During that same period, he also served as Chairman of Kurt Geiger and Executive Director of House of Fraser. Mr. Bolliger is currently a non-executive director at Stella International, a leading developer and manufacturer of quality footwear products based in Hong Kong and serves as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kurt Geiger.

             
            • First term appointment since IPO: 2015
            • Reappointment: 2017
            • Current term of office: up to and including the 2021 Annual General Meeting
            • Interim Chairman of the Audit Committee
            • Year of birth: 1945

            • Jeffrey (Jeff) Cole

              A US national, Mr. Cole is the former Chairman and CEO of Cole National Corporation, a leading optical retailer in North America. He currently serves as a non-executive board member for Safilo, the world’s second largest manufacturer and distributor of frames and sunglasses, and Hilco, a US-based manufacturer and distributor of eye wear accessories. He is also Trustee of the Cole Eye Institute, which forms part of the Cleveland Clinic, one of the leading eye research and treatment centers in the United States.

               
              • First term since IPO: 2015
              • Reappointment: 2017
              • Current term of office: up to and including the 2021 Annual General Meeting
              • Year of birth: 1941

              • Rianne Meijerman

                A Dutch national, is a senior leader at Royal Philips, where she currently holds the position of Head of Marketing Transformation. She has built an international career with a strong track record of business leadership and innovation management. Prior to joining Royal Philips, she worked at A.S. Watson Group, the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, in several commercial and procurement leadership roles. Ms. Meijerman holds a Business Administration degree and graduated cum laude from Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
                 

                • First term since IPO: 2019
                • Current term of office: up to and including the 2023 Annual General Meeting
                • Year of Birth: 1978