Frits Philips

Frederik Jacques "Frits" Philips (16 April 1905 – 5 December 2005) was the fourth chairman of the board of directors of the Dutch electronics company Philips, which his uncle and father founded.

His father was of Dutch Jewish origin, as well as the co-founder when in 1912 they incorporated the family business.

Frits had an older sister named Annetje and a younger sister named Jettie.

Their grandfather Frederik Philips was a first cousin of Karl Marx.

In 1923, Philips started his studies at the Delft University of Technology; he received an engineer's degree in mechanical engineering in 1929.

On 4 July 1929 in The Hague, he married Sylvia, Jonkvrouw van Lennep (The Hague, 16 December 1905 – Eindhoven, 29 August 1992), daughter of Jonkheer Roelof van Lennep (Wiesbaden, 3 October 1876 – The Hague, 13 September 1951), and wife Digna Jacoba Mijer (b. Batavia, 28 March 1883).

The couple had seven children: Digna Hintzen-Philips (14 September 1930 – 7 February 2018, who married Peter Hintzen and has Herman-Frederik and Rein), Anton Frederik (Ton) (b. 12 March 1932 who married Johanna Charlotte Daneel and had Frits, Joey and Karel), Anne Jetje (Annejet) Campbell-Philips (14 October 1933 – 1 March 2007, who married Paul Campbell and had Edith Anne and Digna), Sylvia Dutterloo-Philips (6 December 1936 – 13 June 1988, married to Herbert van Werkhoven and had Sylvia and Harro, later married Anton Dutterloo), Warner (Eindhoven, 6 August 1938 – 14 May 2022, who married Cornelia Clara (Nel) de Graaf and had Liz and Maria), Frederik (Frits) (b. 10 April 1940, who married Christine Bosschaart and had Christine, Tony, Warner and Annejet, later married Els van Slingelandt) and Maria Philips-Moniz (b. 23 April 1947 who married Hans Schouten and had Jan, Marileen and Pieter, later married Allan Moniz and had Mark).

He was introduced to the Oxford Group in 1934, the Christian movement that was the forerunner of Moral Re-Armament (MRA) and Initiatives of Change (IofC).

The Oxford Group was a lifelong source of inspiration to him and his wife.

On 18 October 1935, Frits Philips was appointed vice-director and a member of the board of Philips.

Learning of the expected occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany in World War II in 1940, his father Anton Philips, young nephew Frans Otten, and other Philips family members escaped from the Netherlands and fled to the United States, taking company capital with them.

Frits Philips stayed in the Netherlands.

Together they managed to keep the company alive during the war.

From 30 May until 20 September 1943, Philips was held in the concentration camp Vught because of a strike at the Philips factory.

During the Occupation, Philips saved the lives of 382 Jews by convincing the Nazis that they were indispensable for the production process at Philips.

In 1961, Philips succeeded Frans Otten as president of the company.

He served in this position for 10 years; in 1971 he was succeeded by Henk van Riemsdijk (businessman).

Appreciating the growing importance and potential of corporate aviation, Frits Philips established the International Business Aviation Association (Europe) in 1977.

Initially based in Eindhoven and consisting of 12 founding Members, the association grew into the EBAA (European Business Aviation Association), which hosts the annual European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (EBACE) in Genève.

Frits Philips' legacy to Dutch aviation was not solely focused on corporate aviation.

He was also instrumental in the construction of the civilian Terminal building and Eindhoven Airport.

Frits Philips was immensely popular in Eindhoven.

The citizens of Eindhoven commonly referred to him as "Meneer Frits" (Mister Frits).

Frits made no class difference between factory workers and members of the board of directors: he was often seen chatting to the factory workers, which contributed to his popularity.

For his actions in saving 382 Jews during the Nazi Occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, he was recognized in 1996 by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations.

Frits Philips was born in the city of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands.

The second child, he was the only son of Anton Philips and his wife Anne Henriëtte Elisabeth Maria de Jongh.

In 1996, he was recognized by Yad Vashem as among the Righteous Among the Nations for his actions.

At the age of 100, on 5 December 2005, Philips died from complications resulting from a fall in November.

European business aviation emerged with the rebuilding of the continent following the end of Second World War.

It was aided, in part, by an appreciation of the recently proven versatility of aviation and the availability of former military aircraft, crew and airfields.

Following the end of hostilities, company executives saw the potential in this adaptable and available means of transport, facilitating visits to production and administration centers quickly.

This was the genesis of corporate flight departments.

As chairman of one of Europe's burgeoning conglomerates, Philips was amongst the first to establish a flight department with the acquisition of a Beechcraft Super G18 (registered PH-LPS), creating Philips Vliegdienst.

Over the years, the flight department grew to include Dassault Falcons, Fokker F27s, and Beechcraft King Airs.

His hundredth birthday in 2005 was celebrated on a large scale in his home city of Eindhoven, which was renamed Frits Philips Stad (Frits Philips City) for the occasion.

The city minted a special coin that bears the nickname "Fritske".

The yearly Lichtjesroute event honoured him that year by placing a picture of him highlighted along the route (see image).

At the age of 100, Frits Philips frequently visited the home football matches of PSV.

He did not use the stadium's business lounge; instead he sat in the crowd — section D, row 22, seat 43.