Achmea appoints two new divisional chairmen

Achmea has appointed Jack Buckens (53) as chairman of the Banking Distribution Division, which operates under the brand name of Interpolis. He takes up his post on 1 December 2010 and succeeds Joop Kanen (62), who is retiring at the end of the year. Buckens is currently chairman of Achmea’s Occupational Health Division. Rob Becker (45) becomes the new chairman of the Occupational Health Division with effect from 1 December.

Jack Buckens began his career with Nationale Nederlanden in 1982. He joined Interpolis in 1990, occupying various management positions in the period prior to 2006. He has been chairman of Achmea’s Occupational Health Division since the merger of Achmea and Interpolis.

Rob Becker worked for McKinsey & Company from 1990 to 2005, with postings in various countries. For the last six years with McKinsey he was a partner in the firm, specialising in the financial sector. In 2006 he joined Achmea Pensions as CFO and was appointed CEO of Achmea Bank in 2008.

Willem van Duin, chairman of the Executive Board van Eureko/Achmea commented, ‘We’re pleased to be able to find a suitable successor to Joop Kanen from among our own ranks. Jack Buckens possesses extensive experience in the insurance world and worked for Interpolis for many years prior to the merger with Achmea. That makes him ideally suited to succeed Joop Kanen. Rob Becker, who takes over from Jack, has also been appointed from within the company. Rob is a versatile manager who has amassed a great deal of experience in the financial world. I wish both gentlemen every success in their new and challenging positions, both personally and on behalf of my colleagues on the Executive Board.’

Turning to the departure of Joop Kanen, Van Duin continued, ‘As Joop Kanen retires we will be saying goodbye to something of an institution in the insurance landscape and a remarkable personality. We are particularly deeply indebted to him for the way in which, as head of the Banking Distribution Division, he has steered and moulded the alliance with the local Rabobank branches, which act as the main distribution partners for Interpolis. We wish him a very happy retirement when he leaves us at the end of December.’