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Theo Hoen, CEO of Marel Food Systems

One of the main priorities of the new CEO of the united companies of Marel and Stork will be to bring the companies and their employees together. Theo Hoen, who took over the job at the beginning of the week, says that in order for that to happen, he will place an emphasis on being in good contact with the company‘s customers and on introducing them to the solutions that the unified company has to offer.

“Actually, that is not a difficult task,“ says Hoen. “Marel‘s position is such. I‘m not sure that Icelanders realize how much respect the company enjoys around the world. Almost anywhere you go, Marel is known for its outstanding hi-tech products for the food processing industry. And with Stork onboard, the company is even better than before.“
The Marel group is an international company with business units in Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States, Slovakia and Singapore, and offices and subsidiaries in more than 30 countries. The company also has a network of agents and distributors around the world.

Hoen says that together Marel and Stork are the biggest company in its field in the world. But that this in itself is not the goal but rather to be the best. He says that the difficulties in the financial markets have had an effect on Marel‘s operations but not as much as on companies in many other sectors. People continue to eat and Marel‘s customers produce food. Customers are, however, encountering difficulties in accessing investment capital which does affect Marel. The year is expected to be difficult but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Moreover, the company‘s position is good.

Marel is and will be an Icelandic company

Hoen will be fifty years old this year. He is a mechanical engineer, having graduated from the Technical University of Eindhoven in 1984. Following his studies, he joined Stork PMT, a subsidiary of Stork Food Systems. He was appointed head of another subsidiary, Stork Titan, in 2001 and become CEO of Stork Food Systems itself in 2002, a position he held until being appointed CEO of the united companies. Hoen has therefore worked in the food industry virtually the entire time since graduating from university, or for close to 25 years.

Hoen is married and has two daughters, 7 and 10 years old. His wife is an artist. The family lives in the Netherlands, close to the headquarters of Stork Food Systems, about 10 km from the German border, where he will continue to be based.

„But I will probably come here every month. Marel is an international company so I could be based wherever the company has a significant presence. But it is good to know that the company here in Iceland is in the good hands of Sigsteinn Grétarsson, Managing Director of Marel ehf., which encompasses our operations in Iceland and part of the operations in Denmark. Marel is and will continue to be an Icelandic company, no matter where the CEO is based.

Asked about his hobbies and interests, Hoen says that he does a lot of cycling, as many people do in the Netherlands where the conditions and facilities are very good.

„I am also a big fan of the blues. My favourites include Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton and many others. My interest was sparked when I visited Memphis in the United States just over a decade ago. And then there is football of course. That is also an interest of mine even though the Dutch national team is not at its best at the moment,“ says Theo Hoen.