VEENDAM, Netherlands — Eric Idema will end his tenure as CEO of the EQOM Group, the company behind ONE-DC and EasyToys.
He will be succeeded July 1 by Marc van Boven, a veteran of international retail and ecommerce companies such as Weleda, Omega Pharma and Reckitt Benckiser.
Idema will remain involved with the EQOM Group as a shareholder and as a member of the advisory board. He will also remain active as an investor and plans to use his expertise to advise ecommerce companies. Furthermore, according to a rep, he plans to share his knowledge and continue to give lectures, with the proceeds going to support charitable causes.
Idema linked his decision to EQOM's recent rapid growth.
“I am stepping aside to make way for a new CEO,” he said. “I am extremely proud of all the employees and our business partners. When I started, I never expected that I and EasyToys would come this far. I had to think about it for a long time, but I think it's wise to leave at the peak. The company is entering a new phase and this requires different expertise.”
Known in the Netherlands as “Mr. EasyToys,” the rep noted that Idema also broke taboos by advocating for sexual wellness in recent years. This included EasyToys becoming the much-discussed main sponsor of soccer club FC Emmen, and signing a collaboration deal with the quintessentially Dutch department store HEMA as well as various branches of Jumbo, thereby making sex toys available on supermarket shelves for the first time.
"Breaking those taboos is what I am most proud of,” Idema said.
Van Boven credits his predecessor for “completely transforming” the sexual wellness market.
“Leading EQOM will be a great new challenge,” Van Boven stated. “Eric Idema has laid a fantastic foundation for the further expansion of the company. I am excited to now work on the further expansion of EQOM as a market leader and this market in general, which affects us all.”
For more information, visit EQOM.com.
