New CEO of the Viscon Group takes the reins

René de Vos hands over the baton to the new CEO Charlotte Langerak-Visser.

Viscon Group, a provider of horticultural automation solutions has appointed third-generation Charlotte Langerak-Visser as the company’s new CEO.

Langerak-Visser succeeds René de Vos, who helped in building the company into the automation and engineering powerhouse it is today. De Vos has served as Viscon’s managing director for 27 years and will continue to be involved in the company as a shareholder and a member of the advisory board.

Langerak-Visser’s appointment  marks a new dawn for the Viscon Group, as the company prepares itself for business expansion.

Left to right Wim Jan Groothuijs (CCO), Charlotte Langerak (CEO), and Erik de Jonge (COO).

Agriculture, food production, protected cropping and ornamental horticulture are changing rapidly due to the entry of investors and private equity parties, which presents many new opportunities for companies such as Viscon, in which Syngergia Capital Partners has a stake.

The market demands an increasingly integrated approach to projects, which not only includes machine automation but also involves software and data playing an increasingly important role. Developments in AI, vision, robotics, and IoT open new possibilities.

Langerak-Visser has been working at Viscon Group for 13 years and has been fulfilling management- and director roles since 2012.

During this time, she has demonstrated her strength in organisational and market development. Since joining the board in December 2020, she has successfully implemented changes in the corporate strategy and structure.

She believes that the company, with its 350 employees, still has much potential to grow. With this in mind, she has taken various steps as a board member in recent times to strengthen the family business further. An important part of this was complementing the board with experienced executives. Erik de Jonge joined as COO and most recently, Wim Jan Groothuijs joined the board as CCO. Together with these board members, a new direction has been set.

Langerak-Visser said, “I believe in the strength of a good team. By bringing the right expertise in-house, we can ensure an organisation that can sustainably serve our customers. Viscon has a strong DNA in entrepreneurship and innovation, and preserving that is a priority for the new board. A strong business development team will have all the resources to monitor new technologies and developments and turn them into new products. Viscon has always prioritised innovation and entrepreneurship, and the next generation will continue to do so with great enthusiasm.”

Founded as a family business in 1927, Viscon (www.viscon.eu )has grown into an international player in automation and mechanisation in agriculture, horticulture and (non) food production.