Francine van Dierendonck (42) has been appointed to the Executive Board of APG Group NV (the largest pension administrator in the Netherlands) effective November 1st 2018. She will be responsible for ‘Participant and Employer Services,’ a new portfolio within the APG Executive Board. This appointment sees the board expanded from four to five members. ‘Participant and Employer Services’ was created to support the expected changes to the role of participants and employers in the pension system. Key elements of its role include providing information, advice and support for employers and participants.In light of the fact that services in this field are still being developed, she will also be responsible for the portfolio ‘Innovation & Ventures, which is part of ‘Participant and Employer Services’. The appointment is for a period of four years and has been approved by supervisors. APG Group manages 485 billion euro in pension assets and ensures that over 4.5 million people can trust that their accrued pension rights will be invested, administrated and paid out correctly.
Francine van Dierendonck was the CEO of Xenos from 2016 until May 2018. After university, she started off her professional career as a strategy consultant with Boston Consulting Group in 2000. Following that, her career included positions for eBay and Marktplaats as marketing director, for Philips as a Senior Director responsible for the direct to consumer-channel and digital strategy, and for Etam Group as Chief Commercial Officer and CIO. Van Dierendonck studied biotechnology at Wageningen University and Delft University of Technology. She and her partner have three sons together.
Gerard van Olphen (Chair of APG's Executive Board): “Our assignment is to achieve the highest possible return at the lowest cost for our pension funds and their participants, and to communicate clearly about our efforts. No matter the shape of the new pension system, the latter aspect, clear communication, will certainly become even more important than before. In part because participants and employers are expected to have to make more independent choices about their income for later. That is why it is a good thing Francine will be handling this important new portfolio. With her appointment, we are adding a different type of knowledge and experience to our Executive Board as well as making it more diverse and decreasing the average age. I look forward to working with Francine.”
Pieter Jongstra (acting Chair of APG's Supervisory Board): “APG is among the best investment institutions in the world. Our pension fund clients rightfully have strict requirements for our investment activities, but they are increasingly focused on pension communications as well. Key elements in this regard include providing information, advice and support to employers and participants. Given that services in this field are still being developed, Innovation & Ventures is also part of this portfolio, as it focuses on experimentation and innovation. That is why we are happy we were able to appoint Francine van Dierendonck. She has extensive experience in the consumer market and relevant digital developments. We consider the fact that she hails from outside the industry, combined with her retail and digital experience, as a significant advantage.”