Wilo CEO Oliver Hermes participates in forum on the future of NRW–Dutch relations

The event “Zukunftsforum NRW-Niederlande” organised by the Brost-Akademie highlights the importance of political and economic relations

Noordwijk aan Zee. President & CEO of the Wilo Group, Oliver Hermes, met up and exchanged ideas with the movers and shakers from the world of politics and economics during the recent Zukunftsforum NRW-Niederlande (Future Forum North Rhine-Westfalia/Netherlands). This year’s event, organised by Brost-Stiftung and Brost-Akademie (Brost Foundation and Academy), was hosted by Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Armin Laschet, former Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, current Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bodo Hombach, Chairman of the Board of Brost-Stiftung and President of Brost-Akademie.

“The Netherlands is a crucial political and economic partner, not only of North Rhine-Westphalia, but of the Federal Republic of Germany as a whole”, explained Hermes during the event. He asserted that as founding members of the European Union, Germany and the Netherlands shoulder special responsibility in protecting the European idea. “Even in times of increasing nationalism and protectionism, we need to stay in dialogue with each other in order to reinforce our partnership and prevent the collapse of Europe as a community of values and as an economic area”, Hermes added. Stronger economic integration will also be vital in this endeavour.

The Wilo Group has been operating in the Netherlands since 1972. In 2021, the subsidiary of the multinational technology group based in Westzaan, North Holland acquired Wri-Tech, a service company for pump systems, thus strengthening Wilo’s position as a holistic solutions provider in the Dutch market.