Press Release: Fairphone, the industry leader in sustainable electronics, has announced a series of new appointments to its Supervisory Board, welcoming four new members. Concurrently, longtime member and former chair of the board Josephine de Zwaan is stepping down after over eight years of dedicated service. Josephine's legal background and Supervisory Board experience have been essential to Fairphone's growth as a sustainable technology leader since she joined in 2017. Her knowledge of, and passion for, Sustainable Governance has been instrumental in ensuring that fairness and sustainability remain central to the company's mission. Eelco Blok will remain as Chair of the Supervisory Board to bolster Fairphone's strategic leadership. Fairphone Co-founder Bas van Abel will also continue to serve on the Supervisory Board to maintain the company's mission.
Eelco Blok, Chair of the Supervisory Board, was quoted expressing his gratitude to Josephine: "We sincerely thank Josephine for her commitment to Fairphone. Her leadership has helped solidify our position as a pioneer in ethical electronics, and we are grateful for her guidance over the years."
Meet the new Supervisory Board members
To continue shaping the sustainable tech player’s future, Fairphone is bringing on four new industry leaders to join its Supervisory Board:
- Astrid Rauchfuss has over two decades of experience in the technology and telecommunications sector. Her areas of expertise include Internet of Things, cloud and ICT, go-to-market strategies, digital and analytics, and scaling of new businesses. Astrid currently sits on the Supervisory Board and Board of Directors for several companies, including Eraneos Group, Orcan Energy AG and Exeger. She previously served as Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group.
- Elfrieke van Galen, is a seasoned sustainability non-executive, with a background in law and executive experience in the service & logistics industry, including as MD KLM cityhoppers/CEO KLM UK. She is partner in TheRockGroup and supervisory board member in GVB, Schiphol Airport Group, Meerlanden, and SEKEM. Elfrieke has served on several boards such as Dutch Emission Authorities, Greendeal board, Arcadis, Ymere.
- Gustavo Burnier is a Go-To-Market executive with extensive experience in revenue growth and product innovation. He has co-founded and led startups and scale-ups and has driven revenue growth at large companies since 1999. Gustavo has held leadership roles at companies like WPP, eBay, Despegar.com, Designit and Usercentrics focusing on marketing, sales, and product/service innovation. He is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board at Neterra, a global telecommunications provider.
- Besma Kraiem is a senior executive with over 25 years of international experience in the technology sector, specialized in B2B sales and global expansion. She has held various leadership roles at Sony Group in Germany, UK and Japan; and the Portuguese telco operator Altice. Besma is the founder and CEO of IBK Partners, she served on the board of ISQ engineering group, and is an advisory board member of AlmaScience.
Raymond van Eck, CEO at Fairphone highly values the new Supervisory Board members, stating: "We are delighted to welcome these outstanding individuals to our Supervisory Board. Their diverse expertise in technology, telecommunications, law, marketing, and sustainability will be instrumental in guiding us through our next phase of growth. Together, we will continue to drive the industry toward greater fairness, sustainability, and innovation.”
Driving the next chapter for Fairphone
Along with Fairphone’s recently revamped brand strategy, this transition marks the next step in scaling its impact and setting new standards for the industry. Fairphone remains focused on delivering long-lasting electronics that prove premium performance and sustainability can go hand in hand.
About Fairphone
Fairphone is the benchmark for long-lasting sustainable electronics, delivering high-quality devices crafted with ethical materials and responsible production. Our mission is to transform the electronics industry by proving that superior design, a great user experience, social responsibility and environmental care can coexist.
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