This is one of the very highest royal honors and awards are rare.
Sijbesma studied Business Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam and was CEO of DSM between 2007 and 2020. He is praised for his contribution to sustainability and society. He was also special envoy of the cabinet in the fight against Corona.
Sijbesma has received many honors, including two honorary doctorates and a sustainability ribbon. In 2009 he received the Most Distinguished Alumni award from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. In 2018 he was the "most influential Dutchman" according to De Volkskrant.
Special envoy of the cabinet
In the (unpaid) role of special envoy of the cabinet, Sijbesma made a major contribution for months, including in obtaining test material for the Netherlands and the search for a vaccine.
He was interviewed about this special role last year in Studio Erasmus in an episode about leadership in times of crisis.
Grand Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
Grand Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau is the second degree in the order. Earlier, Mr. Tjibbe Joustra (former National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Chairman of the Dutch Safety Board) and Mr. Piet Hein Donner (former Minister and former Vice-President of the Council of State), among others, received the decoration.
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