CFO Daphne Smit: the mirror image of Pieter Zwart
> Want to read the full analysis? You can find it here: Constantly Evolving: The CFO in 2026.
‘Daphne often holds up a mirror to me. She’s sort of an ‘inverted Pieter,’ says Pieter Zwart, founder and CEO of Coolblue, in an interview with RetailTrends. For years, Daphne Smit was Zwart’s sole co-director. Smit can therefore be seen as one of the driving forces behind the e-commerce company’s expansion. As CFO, she also stays ‘on top of operations,’ as she combines her financial role with that of chief operating officer (COO).
Smit made the switch from Rabobank to Coolblue in 2014. When she became CFO a year later at the age of 30, she was among the youngest CFOs in the Dutch business world. Under Smit’s financial leadership, Coolblue experienced strong growth. In an interview with the executive search firm Top of Minds, she described her experience: ‘A large company is not just a larger version of a small one. I usually explain the difference in challenges and approaches by comparing it to a dinner party. A dinner for two is pretty easy to organize.
A dinner for four is still manageable. With eight, things start to get a little tricky. Do I have enough glasses? What should I serve for dessert? With sixteen guests, you’re no longer cook yourself; that is when you start thinking about catering. With thirty-two, you need a different venue. As our company grows, you have to tackle new challenges differently and constantly reorganize yourself.’
Speaking about Coolblue’s culture in the same interview, she said: ‘At Coolblue, I see so many people who are passionate about what they are doing. We are all like-minded, young, ambitious people pursuing the same goal.’
Long before she became responsible for finance and operations, Smit spent most of her time on the tennis court. During her college years, she worked for six years as a tennis instructor at the Berry Janse Tennis School in Zoetermeer.