René Takens, chief executive of the Accell Group for the last 18 years, will be resigning at the Dutch bicycle group's next shareholders' meeting on April 25. The company that owns brands such as Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Raleigh, Diamondback, Haibike and more, said the decision was taken by mutual consent. It puts an end to a tenure that saw Accell turned into a market leader and a driving force behind the rise of electric bicycles.
The 62-year-old Dutchman said in a statement that he was leaving at a time when the group's refined strategy is becoming increasingly clear, and he thought it would be more appropriate for this strategy to be implemented under new leadership. The group will be moving toward an omni-channel distribution strategy, while making significant changes in its supply chain.
Until the appointment of a new chief executive, the implementation will be led by Hielke Sybesma, the group's chief financial officer, with support from other board members. Takens will support Accell as an adviser after the shareholders' meeting in order to facilitate the transition.
Under Takens' leadership, Accell has turned into a group with more than 3,000 employees and a turnover nearing €1 billion, about 40 percent of that coming from e-bikes.
As reported by a Dutch financial daily, Het Financieele Dagblad, this compares with a turnover of about €150 million and 800 employees when Takens joined Accell in 1999, shortly after its launch on the stock exchange. The Accell Group is to announce its annual results on March 10 and said while announcing Takens' departure that its guidance for the year remained unchanged.
