Meet our Board of Directors

Carola graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has held various positions, including business controller at a large supermarket. She applied for a position at Focus Care through a secondment agency but had to cancel her interview as she had just had a baby. A few weeks later, the phone rang: “Are you still interested in that interview?” She was! During that first meeting, Carola immediately felt at ease with founder John van der Sluijs and current owner Maurits Haasnoot.

After joining the company in 2013, Carola’s initial focus was on administration and financial controlling. She was quickly promoted to finance manager and became an invaluable source of support for Maurits. Carola later became involved in logistics, supply chain management and customer care. Carola has been in charge of Focus Care’s sales strategy for generic medicines in the Netherlands since 2020, when she was appointed Generics Commercial Director.

After graduating with a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2005, Erik moved to Sweden to pursue a career in his field, gaining experience of EU-wide registration procedures for medicines. On his return to the Netherlands in 2010, Erik joined Focus Care as a regulatory affairs manager. The company was still small, and Erik oversaw both product registration and pharmacovigilance, monitoring the safety of our medicines.

Erik’s responsibilities expanded with the company’s growth and included Pharmaceutical Affairs, which encompasses the Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance and Quality Assurance departments. Business Development and Purchase & Supply were subsequently added. Erik is now in charge of the entire process, from researching patient needs in the Netherlands to detecting and assessing safety signals relating to our products. Erik has successfully completed a Global Executive MBA in 2024, enabling him to help Focus Care to grow and develop further in all levels of the organisation.

Freek completed his graduation project in accountancy at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and was soon offered a contract. During his eight-year stint at PwC, he rose through the ranks, eventually taking on a leading role at the Consumer Industrial Products & Services department. During that time, he completed a post-master’s degree and became a chartered accountant.

When discussing the previous year’s figures with chief financial officers, Freek noticed that executives would often focus on moving forward — the future. He realised just how much that strategic approach resonated with him, so he decided to pursue a role at the opposite side of the table.

Following a foray into the fashion industry, Freek joined Focus Care in 2018 as a finance manager. He has served as our Finance & Facility Director since 2022, responsible for overseeing annual accounts and monthly financial reporting. Freek is also in charge of facility management and IT, making his role highly varied and interesting in light of Focus Care’s growth strategy.