Ton Geurts, the former Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) at Bekaert, DSM and AkzoNobel, will join the Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (BISCI) as Business Development Director on 1 October.  Geurts will support Greenport Venlo logistics and supply chain management from the Brightlands Campus in the Limburg region through smart and sustainable innovations. He will focus on all four Brightland Campuses in Venlo, Geleen, Heerlen and Maastricht.

After obtaining his law degree from Nijmegen University, Ton Geurts held several positions in leading firms such as DSM, AkzoNobel and Bekaert. During his 20 years at DSM, Geurts first held the position of corporate lawyer for several years before taking on responsibility for business, program and transformation management. For the past five years, he has held the role of SVP Supply Chain Excellence & CPO at Bekaert. Geurts is an expert in the field of innovation, sustainability, supply chain management, purchasing and logistics. This broad expertise will be instrumental in the development of BISCI.

‘We are very excited to have Ton Geurts join us’ says Professor Dominik Mahr, head of the department Marketing & Supply Chain Management at Maastricht University. ‘Ton brings relevant practical experience and a large international network; this will be very helpful for BISCI’.  

Ton Geurts has great ambitions in the field of business innovation and a passion for sustainability. A few ways he has demonstrated this passion over the years includes his membership to the Supervisory Board of Solidaridad, a civil society organisation that contributes to shaping a sustainable and inclusive economy. He has also helped to build sustainable supply chains and to correct Dow Jones and / or EcoVadis rating of various companies. During his international career, he has gained extensive experience in the application of digital technologies in various business functions. ‘His knowledge and experience perfectly match the profile of the Business Developer that we were looking for’ adds Professor Bart Vos, Scientific Director of BISCI.

Geurts also has a strong passion for education and frequently gives guest lectures at various universities and business schools such as RSM Erasmus University, Vlerick School of Management and Maastricht University.

We are convinced that under the leadership of this local Limbugian and savvy networker, BISCI will quickly become a renown institute.

The Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation has a scientific foundation but is practice-oriented. It co-creates with firm innovative solutions in the field of logistics, operations and purchasing, often together with other knowledge and collaboration partners. BISCI is currently financed through Maastricht University and the Province of Limburg.