Change in leadership at Kröller Boom as of 1 January 2026

After 35 years at the helm of Kröller Boom, Dick Wouters will step down from the day-to-day management of the organisation as of 1 January 2026. This marks the beginning of a new phase, building on the strong foundation laid over the past decades while simultaneously looking ahead to the future.

The daily management will be taken over by Rick Kooij as CEO, Martine Deveneijns as COO and Marc Vermeulen as CCO. Dick Wouters will remain closely involved with Kröller Boom in his role as Chairman of the newly formed Management Board of Kröller Herenvest.

Entrepreneurship is about continuous evolution

Commenting on the transition, Dick Wouters says: “As an entrepreneur, it rarely feels like the right moment to take a step back. At the same time, I see that the people who are now in place are doing an outstanding job. The daily operations have already been in their hands for some time. At a certain point, the moment naturally arrives to formally transfer full responsibility and allow the company to be led further by a new generation.”

Under Wouters' leadership, Kröller Boom grew into an established name within the Dutch risk advisory and insurance landscape. Over the past 35 years, the sector has changed dramatically.
“The world we operate in today is hardly comparable to when I started. Those changes forced us to reinvent ourselves every ten years. That is entrepreneurship. And now it is up to the new generation to continue that renewal.”

Reflections on 35 years of entrepreneurship

For Wouters, the transition is also a moment of reflection. “Kröller Boom feels like family to me. I have always said that I have two families. You go through everything together: the highs and the lows that come with entrepreneurship and with life.” A profound low point was the recent loss of business partner Pim Esser, who played a key role within the organisation for the past 34 years.

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“For me, personal relationships have always been the most valuable. The close colleagues, the collaboration within the Söderberg & Partners group, and the many entrepreneurs and relationships I have had the privilege to work with over the years. All of that has given me an enormous amount of energy and fulfillment.”