Former Boskalis chief gets Heijmans top job

Rob van Gelder will take over as chairman of Heijmans' Executive Board from 1 July following the resignation of Guus Hoefsloot. Joep Brentjens has also stood down as chairman of the company's Supervisory Board. He will be replaced from 1 July by André Olijslager, a member of the Supervisory Board since April last year.

Mr Hoefsloot's resignation was announced two weeks ago following poor first quarter results and increasing shareholder pressure. Van Herk Groep, which controls some 10% of voting rights in the Dutch contractor also called for Mr Brentjens' resignation, citing two years of losses in the company's construction division as a failing of both the Supervisory and Executive Boards.

The Supervisory Board initially rejected calls for Mr Brentjens' resignation, but a statement from the company today said he had "decided to relinquish chairmanship" ahead of the scheduled expiry of his term in April next year. He will no longer sit on the supervisory board in any capacity.

New executive

Rob van Gelder, who takes over day-to-day management of the company as executive chairman, most recently held the post of executive chairman at Dutch dredging company Royal Boskalis Westminster. He has been appointed for a two-year term in charge of Heijmans.

Heijmans will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in September, following publication of the company's half-year results, to explain further the choice of Mr van Gelder as executive chairman.