Michelle de Wit leaves after 2.5 years at Prijsvrij Vakanties and returns to Travelcenter de Wit. She announced this on Thursday. Two and a half years ago, Michelle de Wit changed course. She left the family business Travelcenter de Wit to join the management team of Prijsvrij Vakanties with the main goal of putting D-reizen Retail back on the map. For many, it was an unexpected switch, but for Michelle, it was a well-considered choice at the time. From 1 December, she will return to the old nest to gradually take over the interest in Travelcenter de Wit from Ad de Wit, together with her sister Emmie de Wit. “I am very grateful to Marc van Deursen (CEO Prijsvrij Vakanties, ed.) for the trust and opportunities I have been given to further develop myself and the company. We have made great strides in recent years. A solid and successful new foundation has been laid at D-reizen. A lot of attention is not only paid to the customer, but also to the staff. I think it’s great that such a large organization as Prijsvrij Vakanties understands the importance of this and therefore gives it the space to do so. Partly due to the pleasant cooperation with Marc, within the management team and the retail team of D-reizen, I also went to work every day with a smile on my face. However, it is now time for the next step. Travelcenter de Wit is close to my heart. There is a very strong emotional connection that has never completely gone away. My father Ad is of an age to take it easy. So in that respect, it’s now or never.’ CEO Marc van Deursen of Prijsvrij Vakanties calls Michelle’s departure a huge loss for the company. ‘Michelle, with all her qualities and dedication, is not something you just replace. In addition, we are also a very strong team and a very rare blind trust has developed over the past few years. In that respect, I will personally miss her very much. None of this detracts from the fact that I understand and support Michelle in her decision. I come from an entrepreneurial family and had a very warm relationship with my father. If you then see that your father is reaching a certain age where having the necessary energy is no longer self-evident every day and you have the family business deep in your heart, then succession is a very logical choice. Michelle and her team have made retail a very strong pillar within our company. She leaves something very beautiful behind. The team is rock solid and we can use that to further develop success. Together with the team, we will take our time in the coming period to find a worthy successor.’
