VIA Outlets taps two new board directors

European mall operator VIA Outlets has appointed two new senior board members.

Jaap Tonckens, who joined VIA Outlets in July last year as an advisor to the board, has been appointed as a non-executive board member. He has more than 25 years of experience in the global real estate and finance industries.

Tonckens spent 11 years at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, eight of which as group chief financial officer and a member of the management board. Earlier in his career, he spent 14 years at Morgan Stanley & Co.

Rita Schroeven, who has been VIA Outlets’ head of legal affairs since its inception in 2014, is to become an executive member of the board. She has over 25 years of experience in senior legal roles in the retail and real estate industries.

Schroeven spent 14 years as vice president - legal for Europe at Foot Locker, where she managed the legal aspects of the US retailer’s major expansion across Europe.

VIA Outlets CEO Otto Ambagtsheer said in a release: “Having two such high calibre people as Jaap and Rita joining our Board illustrates VIA Outlets’ status as a leading organisation playing an essential role in the retail industry.”

He said their combined experience across commercial real estate, finance and law will be “instrumental” to the company’s continued growth in the coming years.