Aarnout Loudon

Jonkheer Aarnout Alexander Loudon (10 December 1936 – 9 September 2021) was a Dutch corporate executive and politician of the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

Born in The Hague, he spent several years of his childhood in Japanese internment camps in the Dutch East Indies during World War II. He studied Dutch law at Utrecht University, and he began his career at Mees & Hope bank after his military service. In 1969, Loudon started working for the chemical conglomerate Akzo. He was its chief executive officer (CEO) from 1982 until 1994, when the company merged with Nobel. He served one term in the Senate between 1995 and 1999, and he sat on several supervisory boards, including those of AkzoNobel, ABN AMRO, and Royal Dutch Shell.

Early life and education Loudon was born in 1936 in The Hague into a prominent family of diplomats and entrepreneurs.

Career Akzo Loudon started his career in 1964 at Mees & Hope bank.

While CEO, Loudon sat on the executive board of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry, the board of directors of IBM Europe, the supervisory boards of De Nederlandsche Bank and the Royal Netherlands Blast Furnaces and Steelworks (1992–2002), and the international councils of J.P. Morgan & Co. and Allianz. Following his tenure, he stayed on as chair of AkzoNobel's supervisory board until 2005.

While he led the supervisory board of Hollandsche Beton Group, the body favoured a merger with Ballast Nedam. A group of activist shareholders preferred a merger with Boskalis, and the subsequently concluded that the supervisory board had mistreated the shareholders. The verdict was reversed by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Loudon gave up his last position in 2008 at the Royal Concertgebouw. Loudon lived in Velp around 1997, and he was a Reformed Christian. He also enjoyed drag hunting, being chair and honorary member of the Royal Dutch Hunters' Association.

Electoral history + YearBodyPartyVotesResult.Party seatsIndividual 1995 Senate People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 14

Honours

Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross (1983) Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (1985) Grand Officer of the Order of Merit (1991) Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (1994)