Frits Van Paasschen

Frits Van Paasschen in Brief

Frits van Paasschen is a seasoned global executive and the author of The Disruptors' Feast, an Amazon best-seller. His thirty years of experience inside global companies affords him a unique perspective on the trends that are reshaping the global economy. Frits shares his deep understanding of the forces of disruption to help businesses thrive in times of accelerating change.

Why Frits?
Move past the headlines and learn about the trends lines from a CEO who led 250,000 people at Starwood hotels and a global customer base. They modernized the business lead significant innovations plus he led extensive growth at Coors as CEO and Nike MD for Europe. Here is a client testimonial too: Carol Turner, CONECT's Executive Director who's been running CONECT events for over 20 years, said this in her wrap up:

"We agree that the conference was a great one this year, and the attendees and exhibitors seemed to love it too. The weather the best we've ever had, and the sunset at dinner was spectacular! Every panel was really well received, and the finish with Frits was exceptional. I've never heard such a buzz as people left the room regarding his fantastic extemporaneous presentation."

Frits is a frequent keynote speaker and advisor with a focus on disruption and strategy. He serves as an Advisor for TPG Capital, The Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia, and The Indian School of Hospitality. He also serves on the Board of Directors for two public companies, Williams-Sonoma and Royal DSM. Frits became the Chairman of Convene after serving on the Board, and he is an investor and Advisor for citizenM Hotels.

Frits spent more than a decade as a Fortune 500 CEO, first at The Coors Brewing Company and then at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. He also held several management positions at Nike, ultimately becoming Nike's President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Prior to joining Nike, he worked in finance in Disney's Consumer Products Division. His career began at The Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company, where he primarily served retail and consumer clients.

Frits has been a Non-Executive Director at Barclays, Jones Apparel, and Oakley. Frits has also served on numerous other boards: Apollo Hotels, The European-American Industrial Council (as Chairman), The U.S.-India and U.S.-China business councils, The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Authority, and The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business at Conservation International.

Frits holds a BA in Economics and Biology from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. At Harvard, he was a Teaching Fellow in Economics. Originally from the Netherlands, Frits holds dual U.S. and Dutch citizenship. A passionate traveler, he speaks five languages and has visited 115 countries. In his free time, he enjoys endurance sports, including marathons and triathlons. He has been married since 1990 and has three children.

Clients Frits has recently worked with include...

Siemens Financial Services, Inc.; DP World; Deloitte Services LP; Rabobank North America; Kemin Industries; the Executive Center for Global Leadership; STR; Sales Hacker: T3 Sixty; The IAMC, and Alvarez & Maral North America LLC.