Former Booking.com CEO ushers in VanMoof’s next stage of global expansion

Today, LEVA-EU member VanMoof has announced the appointment of Gillian Tans as President: a major new hire for the e-bike company. She takes up the new position with immediate effect. Gillian joins the world’s fastest growing e-bike brand at an exciting time.

Focus on scale and experience 

Gillian Tans was previously CEO of Booking.com. During her 20 year tenure, Tans oversaw the company’s massive expansion from a Dutch start-up to becoming the world’s leading online travel agency. At VanMoof, she’ll help realize the vision of making electric biking the default transport choice for moving around our cities worldwide. 

As President, Tans will lead the company’s management team and oversee business operations, helping to further solidify VanMoof’s position as the breakthrough leader in today’s rapidly growing mobility category.

Founders Taco and Ties Carlier have been working closely alongside Tans since she first invested in the company several years ago. Over the years the brothers have developed deep respect for Tans’ considerable managerial and executive expertise. Tans’ appointment will allow the Carlier brothers – who remain Co-CEOs – to focus on long-term strategy. Ties will remain focused on product innovation, while Taco will be dedicated to the scale-up’s global corporate strategy.

Expansion of management expertise 

The company’s decision to introduce the role of President is the result of many months of operational planning and marks the next phase of VanMoof’s growth. Tans’ experience combines years at the highest executive level, building world-class teams and scaling global operations – all factors that will be crucial in the next stage of VanMoof’s growth.

VanMoof S5 & A5 launch success

After tripling sales in 2020, VanMoof has grown its service footprint to 50 locations worldwide over the last year. The recent reveal of VanMoof’s next generation S5 & A5 e-bikes on April 5 saw all early stock sell out ahead of shipments. With the e-bike wave showing no sign of slowing down, VanMoof continues to be the catalyst for widespread e-bike adoption across cities worldwide.

“Born and raised on a bike, I’ve seen first hand how riding opens cities up. As a dedicated VanMoof rider myself, I’ve been following Taco and Ties’ journey over the years and I’m thrilled to play a part in scaling this unique brand at such an exciting moment.” – Gillian Tans, President VanMoof

“We’re very excited to have Gillian join us. She’s been an incredibly valuable mentor to me and Ties over the years. It’s great that we can now build VanMoof’s next chapter together. How we scale is as important as how we develop our product. Deepening our leadership with Gillian expertly sets VanMoof up to realize our ambitious goals in this next chapter for the company.” – Taco Carlier, Co-founder VanMoof.