- Gerard Kleisterlee
Gerard Kleisterlee is the current President and
Chief Executive Officer of Royal Philips Electronics (known universally as Philips) and Chairman of its Board of Management and Group Management Committees.He was born in
Germany in 1946 to a mixed (Dutch and German) couple and was raised in theNetherlands . He was educated at aJesuit -run school and at theEindhoven University of Technology. He became an electronic engineer, and like his father 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 has attended
Wharton School 's Advanced Management Program [ [http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/alum_mag/issues/125anniversaryissue/kleisterlee.html Wharton Alumni Magazine: 125 Influential People and Ideas: Gerard Kleisterlee]University of Pennsylvania ] 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 inChina . He served on the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Council of International Advisers 1998-2005. [ [http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200311/06/1106201.htm Speech by Chief Executive at HK Science and Technology Parks] ]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: [ [http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/66/smartcompany.html Can Philips Learn to Walk the Talk? | Fast Company] ]* a) replaced all of the top executives at Philips' consumer-electronics division in the U.S.
* b) outsourced the production of mobile phone handsets andVCR s
* c) cut the number of factories from 269 to 160
* d) sold a number of low-growth businesses such as fax machines
* e) slashed overhead
* f) forced divisions to share services to achieve cost savings
* g) spun off the volatile semiconductors business into a separate entity namedNXP Semiconductors and sold a controlling 80.1% stake to a consortium ofprivate equity investorsRecognition
* He was awarded an Honorary doctorate from the
Catholic University of Leuven in 2005.
* Gerard Kleisterlee was named 2006Europe Businessman of the Year by "Fortune" [ [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/01/22/8398023/?postversion=2007011210 Europe Businessman of the Year:Kleisterlee, Philips CEO - January 22, 2007] "Fortune" names Kleisterlee European Businessman of the Year 2006]References
ee also
*
Royal Philips Electronics
* [http://www.philips.com/about/company/management/boardofmanagement/gerardkleisterlee/index.page Gerard Kleisterlee - Royal Philips] Corporate biography
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.