Former employer foreman Hans de Boer died unexpectedly
Last night, Hans de Boer (66) passed away as a result of a severe cerebral hemorrhage a few days ago. The boards and employees of MKB-Nederland and VNO-NCW are shocked and full of grief about his sudden death, only four months after he retired as chairman of VNO-NCW.
Deep shock
Cees Oudshoorn, General Manager VNO-NCW: 'Our thoughts are with his wife Klaske, children, grandchildren and loved ones. We wish them all strength in this emotional and difficult time. The sudden death of Hans is a deep shock for the organization of VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland. Hans was a beloved chairman, a unique person, disarming, sincere and outspoken and very involved with us. With his sharp mind, intelligence and relaxed style in dealing with people, he was a great example to us all. It was a privilege and great pleasure to work with him.'
Socially involved
Ingrid Thijssen, chairwoman of VNO-NCW: 'With Hans, we lose someone who had his heart in the right place. He was socially involved, straightforward, creative and for many years he worked with a great sense of humor and enormous dedication for entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. He also did this outside our borders during his favorite trade missions and with a great passion for strong European cooperation. With his passing, Hans leaves a big hole with us and all our members. We wish his family and friends much strength with this enormous loss.'
Still so many plans
Jacco Vonhof, chairman of MKB-Nederland: 'A man so energetic, full of humor, bursting with ideas and so many plans is suddenly no longer there. Hans was a fantastic colleague, but certainly also a mentor, and with him you always knew exactly where you stood. With passion he has committed himself to entrepreneurs, large and small, for many years. First as one of my predecessors at MKB-Nederland, later at VNO-NCW. We will miss him terribly and our thoughts are with his family and other loved ones.'
Great commitment to entrepreneurs
Hans de Boer was chairman of VNO-NCW for a total of six years and three months when he retired on 21 September and was named member of merit of VNO-NCW. Upon his retirement, he was appointed Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau by His Majesty the King for his great commitment to entrepreneurs, his continuous efforts to put the Netherlands - which he always called 'a cool country' - on the map internationally and the many social side activities during his life, such as the chairmanship of the Taskforce Youth Unemployment. From February 1998 to July 2003, Hans was chairman of MKB-Nederland. 'The knight of small capital', as he often joked himself.
Much achieved
As chairman of VNO-NCW, Hans de Boer achieved a lot. In his last year as chairman alone, a pension agreement, an agreement on top women and a disability insurance for self-employed persons were reached. In the last year, he also made a major contribution to the consultation with the government and the trade union movement on measures to absorb the consequences of the corona crisis.
Nederlands