REAL ESTATE - Jan Haars has been appointed as chief financial officer at Corio, the property investment company has announced.

The new CFO will take over from John Kuik, who suddenly left Corio earlier this month, as a result of ‘differences in opinion on policy matters’. He will take up his post as of today, Corio said.

Haars, 55, will initially work on an interim basis. The general shareholders’ meeting in April next year will decide on a nomination for a permanent position, Corio added.

According to Corio, Haars has over 30 years of international experience in several financial positions, e.g. as CFO of postal provider TNT and as Group Treasurer of Unilever.

"During his career he has also gained substantial experience with listed companies. He is a member of the supervisory board and chairman of the audit committee of insurer Delta Lloyd."

Earlier this year, Haar’s predecessor, John Kuik, had been appointed as successor of interim CFO Jan Docter, who had been appointed in 2005, after the supervisory board of Corio had ousted the then CFO John van Leeuwen. Van Leeuwen was the third senior officer at Corio requested to leave within a few years.

Corio is one of the largest listed property investment companies with a focus on retail in Europe. Of it’s portfolio of €4.8bn, 80% is retail centres – managed by Corio - in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.