Gerard Kleisterlee
Encyclopedia
Gerard Kleisterlee is a former President and Chief Executive Officer
of Royal Philips Electronics
(known universally as Philips).
in 1946 to a mixed Dutch and German couple, he was raised in the Netherlands
. Educated at a Jesuit-run Canisius College in Nijmegen, he attended the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Training as an electronics
engineer, like his father he has worked at Philips all his life. From 1981 to 1986 he was General Manager of Philips' Professional Audio Product Group. Kleisterlee joined Philips Components in 1986. After becoming General Manager of Philips Display Components for Europe, he attended the University of Pennsylvania
's Wharton Business School in 1991.
Upon return to Philips, he was appointed Managing Director of Philips Display Components Worldwide in 1994. He became President of Philips Taiwan
and Regional Manager for Philips Components in Asia-Pacific in 1996. From September 1997 through June 1998 he was also responsible for all the activities of the Philips Group in China
. He served on the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers
from 1998 to 2005.
Kleisterlee determined not only to transform Philips' image with consumers but also turn it into a high-growth, high-tech company, something that more than 10 years of restructuring, under two predecessors, failed to do. Since becoming CEO
he has:
Kleisterlee was succeeded by Frans van Houten
as CEO of Philips in April 2011.
A director of DELL
, Kleisterlee was nominated as the successor at Vodafone
to chairman John Bond
in January 2011, a position he will take up from July 2011.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Royal Philips Electronics
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
(known universally as Philips).
Biography
Born in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1946 to a mixed Dutch and German couple, he was raised in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Educated at a Jesuit-run Canisius College in Nijmegen, he attended the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Training as an electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
engineer, like his father he has worked at Philips all his life. From 1981 to 1986 he was General Manager of Philips' Professional Audio Product Group. Kleisterlee joined Philips Components in 1986. After becoming General Manager of Philips Display Components for Europe, he attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's Wharton Business School in 1991.
Upon return to Philips, he was appointed Managing Director of Philips Display Components Worldwide in 1994. He became President of Philips Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and Regional Manager for Philips Components in Asia-Pacific in 1996. From September 1997 through June 1998 he was also responsible for all the activities of the Philips Group in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He served on the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
from 1998 to 2005.
Kleisterlee determined not only to transform Philips' image with consumers but also turn it into a high-growth, high-tech company, something that more than 10 years of restructuring, under two predecessors, failed to do. Since becoming CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
he has:
- Replaced all of the top executives at Philips' consumer-electronics division in the U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Outsourced the production of mobile phone handsets and VCRs
- Slashed overhead
- Forced divisions to share services to achieve cost savings
- Spun off the volatile semiconductors business into a separate entity NXP Semiconductors, and then sold a controlling 80.1% stake to a consortium of private equityPrivate equityPrivate equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
investors
Kleisterlee was succeeded by Frans van Houten
Frans van Houten
François Adrianus "Frans" van Houten is the successor to Gerard Kleisterlee, as Chief Executive Officer of the Dutch company of Royal Philips Electronics , taking over the position on April 1, 2011.-Biography:...
as CEO of Philips in April 2011.
A director of DELL
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Kleisterlee was nominated as the successor at Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
to chairman John Bond
John Bond (banker)
Sir John Reginald Hartnell Bond retired as chairman of HSBC Holdings plc on 26 May 2006, after spending 45 years with the bank. He took up the position of Chairman of Vodafone in July 2006....
in January 2011, a position he will take up from July 2011.
Recognition
- He was awarded an Honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of LeuvenCatholic University of LeuvenThe Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
in 2005. - Kleisterlee was named 2006 EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
Businessman of the Year by Fortune.