ECRM, the global leader in driving long-term, critical business relationships for retail, foodservice, and pharmacy/medical markets, announced it has hired global B2B marketing veteran John van der Valk as CEO of its European business.

In his role, Van der Valk will lead ECRM Europe’s expansion, and will further develop the portfolio of products that streamlines the interactions between buyers and sellers. He reports to ECRM CEO Greg Farrar.

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“John’s wealth of industry experience and relationships make him ideal for creating an authentically European business that best serves local markets and maximizes buyer and supplier engagement,” said Farrar. “He has a track record of building high-performance teams and establishing a culture of excellence within them. We’re thrilled to have him leading the charge in Europe.”

ECRM launched its European business unit in 2017 to expand its capabilities to assist European retailers and distributors in discovering new and emerging global brands in food, health, and beauty care, and general merchandise. Headquartered in Utrecht, The Netherlands, it consists of a team of multilingual staff.

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Van der Valk was most recently President Advance of Informa Market’s Digital division, where he spearheaded the expansion of its digital products and services across the exhibition portfolios, as well as the expansion in advanced analytics within the Informa Intelligence division. Prior to this role he was Managing Director of UBM Amsterdam and was responsible for global trade exhibitions and online activities, primarily in Food and Pharma. Prior to joining UBM, van der Valk held senior management positions at VNU/Nielsen, both in Europe and in the US.

“For years I have tracked the development of ECRM as an innovator in boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of buyer-seller relationships, both in the U.S. and abroad,” said Van der Valk. “The ECRM Connect platform is the latest example of this innovation, enabling its customers to conduct meaningful business discussions in the face of travel restrictions. I’m looking forward to helping them accelerate the growth of its programs in Europe.”

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