Philips appoints Jim Andrew as Chief Strategy Officer

Royal Philips Electronics announced the appointment of Jim Andrew as Chief Strategy Officer, effective July 15, 2011. Later this year, Mr. Andrew will also take over the innovation portfolio – including corporate technologies, research & development, and idea-to-market process leadership - from Gottfried Dutine, who will retire per December 31, 2011. Mr. Andrew will report directly to Philips Chief Executive Officer Frans van Houten.

“I am very pleased that in Jim Andrew we have been able to find a leader with a strong focus on strategy and innovation,’’ said Mr. Van Houten. “Innovation is the lifeblood of Philips and it has been for 120 years. Jim’s track record will help us accelerate our innovation in the market that will help us to boost both organic and inorganic growth in the future.  I’m confident Philips will benefit tremendously from Jim’s experience in the domain of strategy development, innovation and business transformation. At the same time, I wish to already express my appreciation to Gottfried for his commitment and his passionate contribution to make our company more customer-focused. He also deserves a lot of credit for his role in renewing our Corporate Technologies organization, strengthening the focus of our innovation efforts on market and customer needs.”

Mr. Andrew was recently appointed by Secretary of Commerce Locke as a charter member of the inaugural National Advisory Committee on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE), the council that advises the US administration on key innovation and entrepreneurship issues and supports President Obama's innovation strategy. Mr. Andrew has worked extensively with leading multi-business, industrial, and consumer companies on issues of growth, M&A, international expansion, and corporate and business unit strategy. He joined BCG in 1986.

“I am very happy to join Philips in this exciting role and look forward to working together to further strengthen Philips’ strategy and the company’s focus on innovation,” said Mr. Andrew. “Philips is a company with a rich history and huge potential that is well-positioned for continued success.” 

Jim Andrew (American, 1962) joins Philips from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he last served as Senior Partner and Managing Director based in Chicago. Prior to this, he founded and ran BCG’s offices in both Mumbai in India and Singapore. Mr. Andrew heads BCG’s global Innovation Strategy Practice and is a member of BCG's global Strategy Practice leadership team.