Daan de Vries has been appointed to the position of managing director (CEO) of the MPS Group, effective 1 December 2020. He takes over from Dirk Hogervorst, who had been serving as interim director since 15 June 2020.
De Vries (47) has worked for more than 15 years on sustainable chains in the agriculture, food and timber industries, and has occupied a number of upper management and directorial positions. He worked for the Rainforest Alliance (formerly UTZ) for 12 years, most recently as Director of Innovation and Technology. He was present at the inception of the UTZ cocoa programme, which has since expanded to become the largest sustainability programme for cocoa in the world. Prior to this, he has led various international sustainability projects throughout his career. Daan de Vries studied mechanical engineering at Delft University of Technology, and obtained his MBA at INSEAD in 2002.
De Vries: ‘It is an honour to be able to take the helm at MPS in its 25th year. The organisation has strong foundations and great opportunities for the future. I’m very much looking forward to acquainting myself with the flowers and ornamentals sector and supporting growers in achieving sustainable results.’
