New chairman and branch manager Industrial Electronics

There are two important changes within the Industrial Electronics sector. Hans Zijlstra succeeds Dirk Stans as chairman of our branch. Melvin Brink will take over from Marc Berkouwer as IP sector manager on August 1. High time for an update!

Hans has been vice-chairman of the branch for years, so it came as no surprise to anyone that he was nominated as Dirk's successor. He attended an FHI meeting for the first time more than 25 years ago and the atmosphere immediately appealed to him.

“FHI is by the members and for the members. I was struck by that when I first walked into the office. It is a completely different dynamic than with a commercial exhibition organization. You speak to people you normally have no contact with, for example because they work at a competitor. This often produces surprising insights.”

We asked Hans five short questions about his vision and plans for our industry.

Read the complete interview with Hans Zijlstra here

New branch manager
Slightly more unexpected is the change in the position of branch manager. The current manager, Marc Berkouwer, recently celebrated his 10th anniversary at FHI, where he rose from trade fair project manager to senior project manager and ultimately Industrial Electronics branch manager. He starts working at Wortell in Lijnden as an IT project manager. How does he look back on the past 10 years?

“I look back on a pleasant and educational period at FHI, full of great moments and challenges. In the first five years I organized an E&A or WoTS fair every year. When the doors opened and the visitors rushed in enthusiastically, it was more than worth the years of organization. Over the past five years, as a branch manager, I had a lot of contact with the members of Industrial Electronics for trade fairs, events, clusters and other FHI services. This created valuable relationships and together we organized many wonderful activities. I would like to thank you very much for this!”

Melvin Brink is Marc's successor. For many, the sporty Apeldoornian is a familiar face within the industry. During all IE activities you see him pop up somewhere - with or without a camera. As a (senior) project manager, Melvin was ultimately responsible for three events, three clusters and a secretariat over the past five years. He also organized several projects during the WoTS and E&A fairs, including the popular gadget project.

Behind the scenes, Melvin delivered input for the industry strategy and worked closely with Marc. “In the near future I want to focus on the path we have already taken. I want to continue with that, partly because I contributed to the development of that plan,” says Melvin. “The operational part of my work is taken over by my colleagues Rik and Miranda. I'm excited!"

We will soon introduce Melvin to you in detail.

Would you like to congratulate Marc, Melvin and Hans personally? Leave your comment on LinkedIn.