The International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. (ICSC) has announced that Jaap Gillis, Chief Operating Officer of Redevco and Chair of the ICSC European Board has been elected to its board of trustees.
"Behind every strong association is a strong board of trustees," said Michael Kercheval, ICSC's president and CEO. "Jaap Gillis has a strong background in the retail and real estate industry and I, along with the current board members, look forward to working with him during his term."
Jaap C. Gillis is chairman of the ICSC European Board and has led the focus on sustainability, chairing the ICSC Sustainability Working Group which is developing the BREEAM method for use by pan European retail property developers. He is also chief operating officer at Redevco Europe with responsibilities for development and new countries. Mr Gillis specialises in project development and asset management in several European countries and the U.S. Alongside his position in Redevco, Mr. Gillis is vice chairman of the Dutch Board of the Urban Land Institute, a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, certified marketer, a member of the Board of the Dutch Council of Shopping Centers and lecturer at the Amsterdam School of Real Estate. Mr. Gillis holds both a Bachelor and Master degree in Business Administration from Insead.
Mr Gillis has also been elected to the ICSC International Advisory Board, which provides strategic advice to the association to meet the needs of members across the world.
He said: "I am absolutely delighted to have been elected as an ICSC trustee. It is a big honour but also a great responsibility. My appointment will further boost the strong links between ICSC in the US and Europe, all the more important now as our European members seek new opportunities across the world and Europe itself is proving of increasing interest to overseas companies."
The board of trustees' primary responsibility is to assist ICSC in the implementation of its mission statement, which is to provide education programs and publications in all aspects of shopping centre development, finance, management, marketing, and other specialized areas of professional interest; conduct meetings and other programs designed to promote the exchange of ideas among members; collect and disseminate news and knowledge pertaining to the shopping center industry; develop and maintain professional certification programs to encourage high standards for shopping center professionals, and to advocate the interest of the shopping center industry to policy makers and the public.
The 52 voting board of trustee members come from Asia, Africa, The Middle East, Central and South America, Europe, Canada and The United States. They serve three-year terms with a maximum of two terms.
Source: Redevco
