Rob van Vijfeijken will take over Co Busman’s role as Chief Financial Officer of Neele-Vat

Effective September 1, 2026, Co Busman will hand over the reins as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Neele-Vat to Rob van Vijfeijken. After more than 20 years as CFO, Co is stepping back within Neele-Vat. Rob will take over his role and is looking forward to the next phase of his career within the family-owned business.

In Rob van Vijfeijken, Neele-Vat has an experienced successor on board. He began his career at EY 28 years ago. From there, he held various financial positions at companies including IMCD and A&M Recycling. About 2.5 years ago, Co Busman brought him to Neele-Vat with an eye toward his future succession.

A long history at Neele-Vat

Co Busman joined the Hentex team in Amsterdam in 1996, which was acquired by Neele-Vat in 2000. Immediately following the acquisition, Co became the controller responsible for Neele-Vat finances. Starting in 2004, he served as CFO. Over the next 22 years, Co became a familiar face within the executive board and the family-owned business.

The ever-cheerful CFO is, as Cuno Vat describes him, an atypical finance executive:

“Co is an atypical finance guy. While finance professionals are sometimes known for working diligently in silence, Co is never at a loss for a good story. He has brought a lot of joy to our executive team over the past few years.”

During his time at Neele-Vat , Co worked alongside both generations of the Vat family. Both founder Ruud Vat and his son, current CEO Cuno Vat, have collaborated with him. In the nearly 30 years that Co has been with Neele-Vat , our family business has grown from fewer than 100 employees—primarily in the Netherlands—to a globally operating logistics service provider with more than 1,700 employees spread across the world.

Cuno Vat also looks back on Co’s contribution and looks to the future with confidence:

“Co has made a significant contribution to the development of Neele-Vat over many years. We, as the executive board, but certainly also on a personal level, are incredibly grateful to him for that.”

“It is a privilege to be able to work with someone you trust completely and who is so knowledgeable. At the same time, I am pleased that, in Rob, we have a successor who knows our organization, our people, and our culture well. That gives us confidence in the future of our family business.”

An acquaintance of Neele-Vat

Rob is no stranger to Co and Neele-Vat. Their collaboration began about 20 years ago when Rob was employed by EY:

“I’ve known Rob for over 20 years,” says Co. “He was our accountant at EY from 2006 to 2011. Even at a young age, he made a very sharp impression with his no-nonsense attitude. Based on that, we quickly involved him in the due diligence process for our acquisitions during those years.”

Co had also previously tried to recruit Rob, who was born and raised in Rotterdam, to join Neele-Vat :

“After he left EY, I tried to approach him in 2013 for a business control role, but he had just started his career at IMCD. That was also a good learning experience for Rob, providing him with international exposure. I did successfully fill the business control position with Pim Steine (now Director of Transportation at Neele-Vat, ed.).”

Now, on September 1, 2026, it is time to hand over the so-called “keys to the treasury” to his successor. In Rob van Vijfeijken, we have an excellent successor. Co describes his successor, among other things, as sharp, creative, determined, and enthusiastic: “People enjoy working for him.”

Ready for the next step

For Rob, the appointment as CFO feels like a great next step within the company he has known for many years.

“I’m especially looking forward to collaborating with fun and dedicated colleagues on the future of Neele-Vat. In addition, I want to continue creating value by actively contributing to successful acquisitions and their integration into our family-owned business.”

Co will remain with Neele-Vat for the time being. He will complete several projects and remain involved with the finance department.

This does not mark the end of Co’s time at Neele-Vat, but rather the end of a special chapter. Neele-Vat is enormously grateful to Co for his many years of dedication, commitment, and contribution to the development of the family business.

At the same time, we naturally wish Rob the best of luck in his new role as CFO of Neele-Vat!

Neele-Vat, logistics in trusted hands