MANCHESTER, NH – July 10, 2013 – Velcro Companies, with its commitment to creating smart products, services and technologies wherever things can be connected, publicly announced today that Alain Zijlstra officially assumed the role of Velcro Companies’ President and Chief Executive Officer in October 2012 following a Board decision in August 2012. Zijlstra succeeded Wil de Hollander who served as President and Chief Executive Officer for the past four years.
In 2008, Zijlstra joined Velcro Companies as the President of EMEA in Barcelona, Spain, where he focused on development and change management that aligned the company to its global growth targets. Prior to joining Velcro Companies, Zijlstra worked with a variety of Fortune 500 companies including Avery Dennison Corporation and Danaher Corporation developing service strategies that improved business performance. This extensive experience of defining corporate and financial visions for major global organizations primed Zijlstra to lead the growth of Velcro Companies’ international brand.
Zijlstra attended The Business School of Eindhoven in the Netherlands where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Economics and later attended the Tilburg University where he earned his Master’s in Business Economics. He speaks six languages including Dutch, English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
About Velcro Companies:
Velcro Companies is a technology-driven, global organization providing fastening solutions that solve problems in simple, elegant and surprising ways for businesses and consumers around the world. We have a heritage of innovation spanning more than 50 years and own over 400 active patents and numerous trademarks, including the VELCRO® trademark, which is registered throughout the world. We develop and deliver solutions for customers through an integrated production and service system that includes manufacturing locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain and China and sales offices around the world. To buy genuine VELCRO® brand products and to find out more about our company, visit www.velcro.com.
Note to editors:
At Velcro Companies, we are proud that VELCRO® brand products have become a part of everyday life, but that ubiquity sometimes produces confusion. The VELCRO® trademark should be used only when referring to genuine VELCRO® brand fasteners. Non-VELCRO® brand products should be identified by their functional terms, such as “hook and loop,” “self-adhesive straps,” and so forth. The VELCRO® mark should always be used as an adjective and never as a noun or a verb. The term “Velcro Companies” should be used when referring to our company and its executives.
The proper use of the VELCRO® trademark assists us in safeguarding the integrity of the VELCRO® brand, and helps to protect consumers from products incorrectly sold as VELCRO® brand products. For further information on the proper use of the VELCRO® trademark, please see the guidelines on our website.
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For Further information, please contact:
Greg Winter
Fleishman-Hillard
Greg.Winter@fleishman.com
(617) 692-0539
Amy Thompson
Fleishman-Hillard
Amy.thompson@fleishman.com
(617) 692-0508
