02 November 2021 Posted in Action News

Hajir Hajji to succeed Sander van der Laan as CEO of Action

The Board of Directors of Action announced on November 2, that Sander van der Laan will be stepping down as CEO of Action to be succeeded by Hajir Hajji, currently Commercial Director and member of the executive management team. The handover marks the next phase of development for Action, in which continued commitment to its customers and significant growth will be coupled with the further implementation of Action’s digital and sustainability strategy.

Sander van der Laan (53) joined Action as CEO in 2015. Under his leadership, Action has grown from €2bn revenue with 655 stores in 6 markets to over €5bn revenue and 1869 stores in 9 markets now. Sander very successfully led the delivery of the Action strategy also during the challenging Covid-19 period, during which Action and its employees demonstrated extraordinary resilience.

Simon Borrows, Chairman of the Board of Action and CEO of 3i Group: “On behalf of the Board I want to recognise and thank Sander for successfully leading the company. Action has continued its strong growth despite the uncertainties presented by the pandemic. He leaves the business performing strongly and on track to deliver its business plan. He has been a driven and committed colleague and I want to thank Sander for his leadership and wish him the very best.”

Sander van der Laan: “It has been a great pleasure to lead such a great company and team. The passion and drive of our employees has been a source of inspiration for me. I believe this is the right time for Hajir to take over from me. Hajir is Action. Her achievements across the business are unprecedented. And she is the right professional to lead the team and our operations into the next phase of growth and development. I want to thank Simon and all other members of the Board, my colleagues in the executive management team and all our employees who make Action such an amazing company, for their enormous support during my 6 years at the helm of Action.”

Hajir Hajji: through the ranks of Action
Hajir Hajji (41) joined Action 24 years ago as a store employee, then aged 17. Over the years she has successfully worked her way through the ranks of the organization in a variety of management roles. Hajir was Director Store Operations for 7 years, responsible for Action’s sales and international retail operations, including the opening of new stores and expansion to new markets. The past three years Hajir worked as Commercial Director, responsible, amongst other things, for global buying, marketing, e-commerce and sustainability. Hajir has been a member of the executive management team since 2011.

The Board is delighted that Hajir will succeed Sander. Simon Borrows: “Hajir is a significant part of the Action DNA and the natural successor to Sander. I look forward to working with her and wish her success in her new role.”

Hajir Hajji: “Action is a great business with a very strong formula and a unique culture. As we move into a next phase of growth and development, I intend to continue building on our past achievements and explore with our 65.000 dedicated employees and our partners the opportunities ahead. I want to thank Sander for his contribution to the business during his time as CEO, our cooperation and for helping me to get accustomed to my new role. And I want to thank the Board for their confidence in me and the entire Action team.”