New candidates Members' Council

Who are you? Albert Kiep, chrysanthemum grower from Nieuwaal. Educated in business computer science and worked in IT. Working in the nursery and co-owner since 2015.

What role do you see for the Royal FloraHolland cooperative? A broad platform with as many growers and buyers as possible. A strong marketplace position within the floriculture sector with Floriday to achieve this.

How can you strengthen the Council of Members? With the experience we have as a nursery with direct flows to retail, I can put it to good use in discussions with the Members' Council to see how this group of growers can also keep the connection with Royal FloraHolland.

"Sian Flowers, originally Sian Roses, has been a member of Royal FloraHolland for more than 30 years. Our business would not have become what it is today without Royal FloraHolland. We grew from a few hectares of roses to 170 hectares and have a wide range of varieties and flower species. A lot has changed in recent years and Royal FloraHolland is still the global centre of the flower world. Projects like Floriday show that the cooperative is moving forward and are, in my view, a great success. I would like to join the Members' Council because it is a great opportunity for me to make a small contribution to the flower industry that has provided so much success and opportunity for me and my family so far."

Who are you? I am Kitty de Jong, 50 years old, a Team player, Friendly, direct, down-to-earth, connecting and curious, director-owner of Agro fleur Select. Our nursery specialises in growing Nerine flowers and bulbs .

What role do you see for the Royal FloraHolland cooperative? If it turns out that the current role of the auction is no longer relevant in a changing market, we must go back to the drawing board as a cooperative. In doing so, we must first ask our members what they need in the marketing of their product. So the question of the role of the cooperative is not yet an issue at that stage of talking to members.

How can you strengthen the Members' Council? I want to work with the other members from the Members' Council to see how we can go back to the drawing board.

Who are you? My name is Simon Schouten, 31 years old, working at Bloomore B.V. (flower and bulb nursery) in Andijk. After a top sports career as a (marathon) speed skater, I started working full-time in our family business. Last year, together with my brother Klaas Schouten, I took over our parents' business.

What role do you see for the Royal FloraHolland cooperative? By being on the Members' Council, I hope to increase the added value of Royal FloraHolland. In West Friesland, you see that many companies are no longer members of the auction. We too doubt our membership at times, but we consider the auction to have a dominant position towards retailers. I think the auction could do a lot more for us legally besides supply and demand.
As Bloomore, we are mainly focused on the big retailers. To earn some money we have to work efficiently, I think the auction can make a big improvement in this. Transport, packing materials and human handling are big cost items, which could perhaps be done differently.

How can you strengthen the Member Council? Not only the daily production of our tulips and bulbs is something I am concerned with, but also everything that is going on in the world. What are the trends? What influence do these trends have? What are the opportunities and risks? What is changing in laws and regulations?