Dümmen Orange announces that Hugo Noordhoek Hegt will become the next Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st January 2020. At which point the incumbent, Biense Visser, will retire having ensured a seamless transition. Hugo formally joins the company on the 1st November allowing him time to further his knowledge of the company, its global operations and most importantly its clients. Following the transition period Biense will continue to support the delivery of the company’s strategy as a member of the Dümmen Orange Supervisory Board.
Hugo Noordhoek Hegt (1961) was born and raised in the Netherlands. He obtained a Master’s degree in Law at Leiden University in 1986. After his military service, Hugo worked for 17 years at Akzo Nobel in a variety of roles spanning the globe. He fulfilled several sales and marketing management positions within the Coatings division in the Netherlands. Then in 1995 he was sent to China as a manager within a joint venture with Beijing Red Lion coatings. Following that, in 1997, he became Head of the Car Refinishes division in North Asia, initially based in Singapore and later in Shanghai. In 2001, Hugo was appointed Managing Director of the Global Non-Stick and High Heat Coatings business based in Chicago with manufacturing facilities in the US, South America, Europe and Asia.
In 2004 Hugo left Akzo Nobel for Swiss family-owned company Sicpa based in Lausanne with a remit to manage and then sell the Packaging Inks division. After closing the divestment in 2005, Hugo was appointed as a Board member of Siegwerk Druckfarben (the acquirer of the Sicpa business) in Cologne, Germany. Hugo left Siegwerk after 12 successful years in 2017 to support a start-up company called Fintech Foundry as a Director and co-investor (www.ok.app: an innovative digital wallet that facilitates all types of transactions from a mobile phone). In Q4 2018, Hugo was also co-founder of X-Infex B.V. and joined its executive team. X-Infex develops new antimicrobial polymers to complement and expand the arsenal of existing treatments against infections. Hugo is married, has three children and enjoys all mountain sports, running, tennis, cycling and golf.
