Frans van Houten

Board member since 2017

Nationality: Dutch | Year of birth: 1960

Frans van Houten is passionate about purpose-driven innovation, entrepreneurship and business transformation to drive customer value and competitiveness. Under his leadership as CEO of Royal Philips, the company transformed into a leading health technology solutions company, leveraging data and informatics to improve healthcare provider results, and became a forerunner across ESG dimensions, having become carbon neutral in its operations since 2020 and recycling over 90% of its waste. Mr. van Houten was an initiator of the World Economic Forum Compact for Responsive and Responsible Leadership as well as founder and co-chair of the Platform to Accelerate the Circular Economy.

Professional experience

  • Advisor, Royal Philips NV, Netherlands (2022‑April 2023)
  • CEO and chair of the executive committee and the board of management, Royal Philips NV, Netherlands (2011‑2022)
  • Interim management, ING Group NV, Netherlands (2009‑2010)
  • CEO and chair of the management board, NXP Semiconductors NV (formerly Philips Semiconductors NV), Netherlands (2004‑2009)
  • Various managerial positions at Royal Philips Electronics NV, Netherlands (1986‑2004)

Mandates

Current:
  • Board member, Absci Corporation, US
  • Member of the supervisory board, Affidea Group, Netherlands
  • Chair, Castor EDC, Netherlands
  • Board member, Synthesis Health Inc. US
Past:
  • Member of the steering committee, European Round Table for Industry (ERT), Belgium (2014‑2022)
  • Vice chair and member of the supervisory board, Philips Lighting, Netherlands (2016‑2017)

Education

  • Master’s degree in economics and business management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • Bachelor’s degree in economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Key skills

  • Medicine/healthcare/R&D
  • Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
  • Data/digital
  • Leadership/management
  • Finance/accounting
  • Law/regulatory/risk management