CFO Niel Cortenraad: From janitor to Chief Value Officer
> Want to read the full analysis? You can find it here: Constantly Evolving: The CFO in 2026.
At the family-owned company Vebego, the traditional CFO title has been replaced by a broader role: that of Chief Value Officer (CVO). That may seem like a somewhat trendy, semantic change, but behind that job title lies a vision of modern financial leadership. This approach fits well with Vebego, the Limburg-based family business active in cleaning, facility services, healthcare, and landscaping – and which, more than any other company in the Netherlands, is committed to an economy that respects human dignity.
For Niel Cortenraad, who grew up in the eastern mining region, it’s not just about financial results, but about the total value an organization creates for customers, employees, and society. In fact, if it had been solely about ‘the bottom line,’ Cortenraad would have declined the position, because he isn’t really a ‘finance guy’; his background lies more in facility management and strategy. In the podcast Today’s CFO: Changing the Game, he said: ‘At Vebego, value isn’t just financial value.’ According to him, the choice of the title ‘CVO’ underscores that principle. ‘As a CVO, you have to be involved in all components of the equation – not just the outcome.’
What stands out about Cortenraad’s career is his loyalty to a single organization. He joined the ‘Verenigde Bedrijven Goedmakers’ (Vebego) in 2000 as a management trainee. During his studies, he had already become familiar with the company’s core business through a part-time job as a janitor. That, too, aligns with Vebego’s culture, where many executives began their careers on the shop floor. For a brief time, Cortenraad made a detour to another company (Facilicom), but when he had the opportunity to become CFO at Vebego, he quickly returned to his old love. ‘Vebego is a company that grabs you,’ he says.