Philips COO to Retire; Successor Named

Willem (Wim) Appelo will join Philips’ executive committee beginning June 18, and replace retiring chief operations officer (COO) Sophie Bechu on October 1. Bechu will work on project-based initiatives until she retires at the end of January.
 
Appelo will join Philips after having served as interim supply chain officer and with private equity firms over the last year. Prior to that, he was VP of supply chain strategy, innovation & deployment at Johnson & Johnson. Before J&J, he held various senior positions at Xerox Corporation.
 
“I am very pleased that Wim Appelo will be joining Philips as our new chief operations officer,” Frans van Houten, CEO of Philips told the press. “Wim brings a wealth of relevant experience to Philips, adding in-depth knowledge and understanding of medical technology and informatics supply chain management, which will help Philips accelerate its journey to becoming a health technology solutions leader. I want to thank Sophie for her highly valuable contribution to Philips and her relentless focus and deep commitment to establishing Philips’ Integrated Supply Chain organization since joining in 2016. During that time, she successfully optimized our supplier base and manufacturing footprint, continually driving operational excellence with a customer-first mindset.”
 
Appelo’s appointment to Philips’ executive committee builds on last year’s appointment of Shez Partovi, MD, as chief medical, innovation & strategy officer.