Research consultancy Ecorys names Michel van Woesik new CFO

International research and consulting firm Ecorys has appointed a new Chief Financial Officer. The Dutchman Michel van Woesik brings over a decade of experience in CFO roles to the firm – he succeeds Peter van der Meij, who will take on a new role externally after three years in the position.

“We are delighted that Michel will join us, as his experience, competences and personality fits very well with who we are and what we do. He is a very worthy successor to Peter, whom we will miss very much,” said Manon Janssen, CEO of Ecorys. 

Founded in 2000 following the merger between Dutch and UK companies, Ecorys is today one of the oldest economic research and consulting firms in Europe – its history dates back to 1929. Today the professional services group has around 500 consultants and staff, based in offices in 25 countries.

Michel van Woesik brings extensive knowledge and experience in financial management to the firm. The past decade he worked for Hoogwegt Group, a Dutch company that operates on a global scale in the international trade of (largely) dairy products for industrial applications. In his most recent role he led the firm as CEO, prior to that he was CFO. In this role he managed the broader finance team, improved internal (financial) transparency, oversaw accounting, controlling, treasury and risk management, and led a refinancing project under difficult external conditions. Prior to that Van Woesik was Finance Director of International Flavors & Fragrances from 2001 to 2006 and held various finance positions at multinational Philips.

At Ecorys, Van Woesik is responsible for leading the firm’s finance department, as well as serving as the key linking-pin on all financial topics for the Executive Board. He reports directly to CEO Manon Janssen, who has been in the role since October 2015. Janssen: “We are delighted that Michel will join us, as his experience, competences and personality fits very well with who we are and what we do. He is a very worthy successor to Peter, whom we will miss very much.”

Commenting on his new challenge, Van Woesik said “I am honoured to work with the Ecorys team. I am impressed by the drive, ambition and strategy of the organisation and I look forward to playing my role in the company.”

Hein Schreuder, the firm’s Chair of the Supervisory Board, remarked, “We welcome Michel to Ecorys and wish him every success and lots of satisfaction in the position.”

Ecorys’ international Executive Board further consists of Pieter Taselaar, who holds the role of General Counsel. The UK business of the consulting firm is led by Darren Jackson (Managing Director), Aydin Ozgul (Programme Management and Communications) and Nicola Smith (Policy and Research), while the Dutch arm is headed by Marien van Riessen.