van Houten proposed as Philips' next ceo
Frans van Houten is to succeed Gerard Kleisterlee as president and chief executive officer of Philips next April. van Houten, who was a member of Philips' board of management until he led the spin out of NXP Semiconductors, will take up the role of chief operating officer at the beginning of 2011.
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"I am happy to see Frans return to our company," said Kleisterlee. "Frans was a strong member of my team and a strong contributor in setting the direction of the company. I regretted to see him leave with the semiconductor spin out. Under his leadership Philips' future will be in very good hands."
van Houten was ceo of NXP until, apparently, ousted by investors some 18 months ago.