Scot-founded hybrid hospitality brand The Social Hub has signed up former Philips global marketing executive Trix van der Vleuten as its Chief Marketing Officer.
Leading a reorganised marketing & performance team, Van der Vleuten’s remit is to help the brand become a ‘household name’ as it expands into ‘many more locations’.
The Social Hub, founded by Scot Charlie MacGregor, opened its first hotel in 2012, and now has more than 10,000 rooms and 1000-plus employees in 18 locations across Europe and the UK, including a recently opened Hub in Glasgow.
Each of these hybrid hospitality businesses offers hotel facilities, student and extended stay rooms, co-working spaces, gyms and event spaces all under the same roof.
The group has outlined plans to more than double its current footprint to 40+ sites, with a second Florence location, Rome and Porto among five new sites set to open in the next two years – with further plans for growth into Edinburgh and London.
With a career in marketing and brand management spanning nearly two decades, Van der Vleuten is credited with being instrumental in the brand growth and commercial performance of global companies such as KFC, KraftHeinz, FrieslandCampina, SABMiller, and PepsiCo, where she spearheaded programs that reshaped brand perceptions and customer engagement.
Arriving at The Social Hub’s Amsterdam HQ, she said: “I’m looking forward to joining an incredibly talented team at one of the most exciting hospitality and real estate brands in Europe, bringing fresh perspectives to help drive the next growth chapter of a unique, versatile brand; one that has already become a driver of collaboration in communities in vibrant cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris.
“I was attracted to The Social Hub by its rapid pace of sustained growth, and real potential to soon become a household name across Europe, serving diverse audiences from hotel guests, students, coworkers, and members of local communities to entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.”
The Social Hub’s chief operations & commercial officer, Marion Koopman, said: “An appointment of Trix’s calibre shows how important this next stage in The Social Hub’s journey is, and she will be central to our efforts to build the brand through both storytelling and commercial perspectives cohesively across Europe.
“She will help us realise our extensive ongoing plans to bring our hybrid hospitality model to many more locations and customers as we pursue our goal of doing business differently, working to bring about genuine connection and positive change in communities across Europe and beyond.”
