Henk Coppens, CEO of VDL Bus & Coach and Senior Vice President of VDL Group, has resigned with effect from 1 July 2021. He is succeeded by Paul van Vuuren, who is a member of the general board of directors of VDL Group.  

Mr. Coppens has always indicated that he wanted to stop at 62, an age he will soon reach. “I am very grateful that Paul van Vuuren is willing to step in, giving me the opportunity to step down. I can look back on a wonderful period with a wonderful company. Despite the fact that the buses division of VDL Group faces many challenges in the coming months, I am convinced that the organisation will make great strides forward.”

Pride and joy 

In 2015, Henk Coppens made the switch from Philips to VDL, where he started as operational director at VDL Bus & Coach. Since February 2017, he has been CEO of VDL Bus & Coach and Senior Vice President of VDL Group.

Under his leadership, VDL Bus & Coach expanded its role as frontrunner in the field of e-mobility in Europe, with more than 100 million electric kilometres driven as proof. The new generation of VDL Citeas has now been launched and approval has been given for a new factory in Roeselare, Belgium. 

“We have recently invested a lot in adapting and improving the production process,” says Coppens. “This is something I look back on with great satisfaction, because it says a lot about the flexibility and quality of the organisation. For example, employees from Heerenveen, Roeselare and Valkenswaard exchanged knowledge and experience in the field of building public transport buses. The Valkenswaard plant is now equipped to handle both disciplines (coaches and public transport). As soon as the coach market also picks up, we will be ready.” 

Paul van Vuuren 

As of 1 July, Paul van Vuuren (62) will combine his role as a member of VDL’s executive board with that of CEO of VDL Bus & Coach. He became managing director of VDL Nedcar in Born, the only major car manufacturer in the Netherlands, in December 2017. Before that, he worked in the financial sector for a long time. Van Vuuren has been a member of the general board of directors of VDL group since the beginning of 2021.