This week we received the sad news that Coen Reuvers passed away on 4 January 2026 at the age of 72. Coen was, until recently, a board member representing pension recipients at Philips Pensioenfonds. We knew him as a calm, dedicated board member with strong financial expertise and a sharp eye for the position and interests of our participants. After his retirement in 2013, he consciously chose not to let his knowledge and experience rest, but to put them to use for the Pension Fund.
Coen devoted more than eleven years of service to our Fund as a non‑executive board member. During that period, he was also a member, and later the chair, of the Audit Committee. This past September, in the NexT issue of our magazine Generaties, we reflected on the departure of several board members, including Coen. Our participants read about his important role in the decision‑making process surrounding the new pension scheme.
Coen valued the knowledge and expertise present within the Pension Fund. During the Generaties interview, he encouraged his successor to make full use of this potential. That advice perfectly reflected how we experienced working with him: Coen was someone who placed trust in others, believed in delegation, and was keen to let the broad expertise within the Fund shine.
Although Coen was elected as a representative of the pension recipients, he was always mindful of the broader responsibility carried by every board member. He looked beyond the interests of a single group and consistently focused on what would be reasonable and balanced for all participant groups. He described ‘balance’ aptly as the search for “a harmony between reason, emotion, and will.”
We are saddened that Coen passed away after a short illness and was unable to fulfil his travel plans. We wish his wife, family, and loved ones much strength in coping with this great loss.
