Frits Fentener van Vlissingen (1882)
Encyclopedia
Frederik Hendrik, or Frits Fentener van Vlissingen (Amsterdam
, 20 July 1882 - Vught
, 30 July 1962) was a Dutch businessman and entrepreneur creditted with growing SHV
into the first Dutch multinational corporation
. He is the uncle of John Fentener van Vlissingen and Paul Fentener van Vlissingen
.
, and N.V. Vereenigde Steenkolenhandel in IJmuiden. Under his leadership, the ties with Germany remained close for the company through two world wars.
He moved the company headquarters from Rotterdam to Utrecht, across from the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen
, his largest customer. During World War I
he negotiated on behalf of the Ministry of Economic affairs in the Netherlands for trade in coal and iron with Germany. On 7 October 1919, the Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Koloniën (Royal Flying Company for the Netherland and her Colonies) — which would become simply KLM — was founded. Fentener van Vlissingen collected money from eight others and with his own capital he financed the company with 1.2 million guilders to allow it to start up. From that point onwards he became a board member in many large Dutch companies. Though known as an art lover and music fan who donated countless amounts to various cultural establishments, most of his efforts were for his business. He became interested in the manufacture of rayon
when he discovered that it needed large amounts of coal to produce. He made a deal with the German producer Vereinigte Glanzstoff Fabriken that later led to the founding in 1929 of the Algemene Kunstzijde Unie (AKU), which was merged in 1969 to found AKZO, the predecessor to AkzoNobel. In 1938 he was a member of the board for over 40 organizations, including Hoogovens.
He expanded the interests of the SHV (Coal, Oil, Gas and Scrap Metal) into the making of paints and coatings.
In 1945 he gave up his director's position at SHV in favor of his son Jan, and in 1951 he moved with his wife to the estate "Beukenhorst" in Vugt. His former home in Utrecht was given to the city and it became part of the Centraal Museum
.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, 20 July 1882 - Vught
Vught
Vught is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is a town where lots of commuters live and has recently been named "Best place to live" by the Dutch magazine Elsevier.-Politics:...
, 30 July 1962) was a Dutch businessman and entrepreneur creditted with growing SHV
SHV Holdings
SHV Holdings is a privately owned Dutch trading company, regarded as one of the world's largest private trading groups. SHV have interests in transport, retail, oil and financial services, including part of the Makro cash-and-carry chain.-History:...
into the first Dutch multinational corporation
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
. He is the uncle of John Fentener van Vlissingen and Paul Fentener van Vlissingen
Paul Fentener van Vlissingen
Paul Fentener van Vlissingen was a Dutch businessman and philanthropist. Ranked as the richest man in Scotland in 2005, he contributed to the development of game reserves in Africa and bought Letterewe estate in Scotland, where he pledged the right to roam, years ahead of the rest of the...
.
Biography
He was married to Sophie Schout Velthuys (1882–1976), who came from a wealthy banking family (Bank Vlaer & Kol). Her twin sister Mies (1882–1925) married Fentener van Vlissingen's SHV colleague en later rival Daniël George van Beuningen. In 1904 — at age 22 — Frits began working for his father in the family company, Steenkolen Handels Vereeniging (SHV). At that time the company was the sole agent for the coal from Rheinisch-Westfälisches Kohlen-Syndikat. In 1906 he managed to win exclusive rights to the waterways of the Netherlands for the transport of coal, creating two daughter companies for this; N.V. Steenkolenhandelsvereeniging in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, and N.V. Vereenigde Steenkolenhandel in IJmuiden. Under his leadership, the ties with Germany remained close for the company through two world wars.
He moved the company headquarters from Rotterdam to Utrecht, across from the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen
Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen
The Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen or SS was a private railroad founded to utilise the government funded railways. The company existed until 1938, when it formally merged with the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij to form the Nederlandse Spoorwegen...
, his largest customer. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he negotiated on behalf of the Ministry of Economic affairs in the Netherlands for trade in coal and iron with Germany. On 7 October 1919, the Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Koloniën (Royal Flying Company for the Netherland and her Colonies) — which would become simply KLM — was founded. Fentener van Vlissingen collected money from eight others and with his own capital he financed the company with 1.2 million guilders to allow it to start up. From that point onwards he became a board member in many large Dutch companies. Though known as an art lover and music fan who donated countless amounts to various cultural establishments, most of his efforts were for his business. He became interested in the manufacture of rayon
Rayon
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
when he discovered that it needed large amounts of coal to produce. He made a deal with the German producer Vereinigte Glanzstoff Fabriken that later led to the founding in 1929 of the Algemene Kunstzijde Unie (AKU), which was merged in 1969 to found AKZO, the predecessor to AkzoNobel. In 1938 he was a member of the board for over 40 organizations, including Hoogovens.
He expanded the interests of the SHV (Coal, Oil, Gas and Scrap Metal) into the making of paints and coatings.
In 1945 he gave up his director's position at SHV in favor of his son Jan, and in 1951 he moved with his wife to the estate "Beukenhorst" in Vugt. His former home in Utrecht was given to the city and it became part of the Centraal Museum
Centraal Museum
The Centraal Museum is a museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The museum was founded in 1838. Initially, the collection - exhibited on the top floor of the Utrecht townhall - was limited to art related to the city of Utrecht...
.