CFO Joost Sliepenbeek: PE specialist among CFOs
> Want to read the full analysis? You can find it here: Constantly Evolving: The CFO in 2026.
‘When things get complex, you need Joost,’ read the headline in 2018 above a profile of Joost Sliepenbeek in the FD. Sliepenbeek had just been appointed CFO of Action at the time, which grew into one of Europe’s fastest-growing retailers during his tenure as CFO.
Sliepenbeek knows better than any other CFO how to deal with private equity. Before joining Action, he had already gained considerable experience with ‘venture capital.’ For example, as CFO of Hema, which in 2007 – the year Sliepenbeek took the helm – was acquired by the British firm Lion Capital for billions. As CFO of the C1000 supermarket chain, Sliepenbeek also dealt with private equity; the company was largely owned by the investment firm CVC Capital Partners.
According to various publications, it was once Sliepenbeek’s ambition to be CFO of a publicly traded company. Partly for that reason, there was speculation for years about a possible IPO for Action. Wouldn’t Sliepenbeek be the one to steer that process in the right direction, thereby fulfilling his greatest wish? So far, however, Action’s owner, 3i, has shown little urgency.
Colleagues describe Sliepenbeek as a financial executive with extensive knowledge of retail and a strong operational focus. “He’s fascinated by the problem at hand and looks at the facts,” said a former colleague in the FD. “He could have been a professor. He enjoys teaching.”
Sliepenbeek began his career in the meat industry as an assistant controller. Later, he emerged as CFO at meat giant Vion. But for most of his life, Sliepenbeek worked at retail companies. His longest stint was at Ahold, from 1999 to 2007. Fun fact: Sliepenbeek currently lives in the former home of Albert “Ab” Heijn.