Earlier this month Unilin Technologies, the IP division of the Unilin and Mohawk group, announced that Floris Koopmans, who served as sales and marketing director IP for the past eight years, was promoted to the position of president of the division. This comes on the heels of Bart Van der Stockt’s decision to pursue new opportunities after serving as Unilin Technologies’ president for the past 20-plus years. FCNews executive editor, Reginald Tucker, sat down with Koopmans to discuss the implications of the move and his immediate and future plans for the company. Following are excerpts of that discussion:
First, congratulations on your appointment as president.
Thank you very much. It’s a mixed bag of feelings. I’ll definitely miss Bart as a boss and as a person. He’s somebody that I spent so much time with the last eight years since I started with Unilin. At the same time, it’s a big honor and challenge to replace him. And I’m very happy that we have an amazing team here to support me in everything I do.
Was Bart the person who hired you when you first joined the company eight years ago?
Yes. From the moment I started at Unilin Technologies eight years ago, I always directly worked with Bart. We did a lot of business trips together. In the beginning, I worked on some of the smaller accounts, but at a certain point I started working with him on the big accounts. Then I took over the big accounts and started acting as his strategic partner. It has evolved to the point where we are today, and now I get the chance to take over.
Was there a succession plan already in place prior to Bart’s announcement that he was leaving the company?
Yes, there was a succession plan that has been in place for a couple of years. Bart has been training me on the important aspects of the business. I’ve been his wingman and his right hand for many years now. The handover went quite quickly because we have been doing this for a while.
What are some of the things you’ve learned during your career at Unilin that prepared you for this challenge?
The main things that I will take from my experience as sales director are the amazing relationships and connections we’ve made with customers, importers and home centers. My understanding of the different international markets—China, throughout Europe and the U.S.; it’s impossible to lead a division like ours without knowing exactly what the market needs and wants, and where the industry is going.
As you step into your new role, can you share your immediate plans? Anything that you’re looking to enact at the company right away?
Well, the thing is, we’re doing quite well and we have a good team in place. So right now, I don’t see the need for making drastic changes. Of course, every leader has his own way of leading. The big difference is that, of course, Bart has been doing this for 20 years and he knew every little corner of the IP landscape. Of course, I will have to work very closely with everybody on the team to come to that same level of experience and knowledge. At the same time, we will work as a team to make sure we can keep supplying our customers with the service they’ve come to expect from us and that we keep the pace of innovation at a level that the market has come to expect from Unilin. With the talent and dedication across the team, I have no doubt that we will continue to thrive and successfully build on the strong foundations we have in place. In that sense, I truly believe that, especially for an innovative company, it’s necessary to have some new views in the organization. That can only help.
With your promotion, Louis Van Roy has assumed your former position as sales and marketing director, IP. How does this factor into the overall picture?
Louis has been with the company for five years; he’s been working with a lot of our SPC licensees directly. It’s a good time to step into this role, and he is fully ready for that.
And in terms of filling the void created by Van Roy—is there a move in place for that role as well?
Yes. We plan to hire some new people while the people working here will take on extra responsibilities as well. The team is very ready to do that. One of the beautiful things about Unilin/Mohawk is that they provide big opportunities to young people, people who come from inside of the company who have grown through the ranks. It motivates employees when they see the chances being given to the people who are loyal and work hard at Unilin.
Sounds like it’s part of the culture—promoting from within and fostering talent.
Exactly. It’s something that Unilin really focuses on.
How does the change in leadership impact your strategy for the North American/U.S. market?
That will not change. We are very happy that we have Matthew Oliver [sales director, North America] in the U.S. It’s important to stay connected to the market. Of course, I will still be traveling and you’ll still see me and the sales team around. An interesting trend that we have seen in the U.S. market lately is that there is so much uncertainty. People want to minimize that uncertainty as much as possible, so they choose certainty in the locking system technologies. They choose the things that they know will work and they have relied on for many years—like Uniclic. That has been an extra contributor to our success over the years, together with launching some new innovations that matter.
Safe to say that you’re optimistic about the future for Unilin?
Yes. I think that the whole team is excited. The most important thing is that we won’t change our pace of innovation. We have a very strong patent portfolio, which is, of course, our main differentiator. Second is our legal and quality reputation we have in the market. Third, it’s our relationships with manufacturers, distributors importers and home centers. And lastly, for me, it’s the people on the team who really make a big difference and can support me in transitioning to this role. Everybody’s excited for this new chapter.
