6 January 2026 Maarten van Raaij (CEO) and Steven Le Poole (CFO) reflect on the past and look ahead

At the end of 2024, CEO Maarten van Raaij and CFO Steven Le Poole took the helm of Fullwood. They reflect on a successful year and look ahead to 2026. “This is a rock-solid company with enormous potential.”

Before joining Fullwood, Maarten was CEO of BAM Infra Rail, Dynniq Energy and DGM Honeywell Russia, among others. Steven founded the investment firm Potosí Solutions BV and led a range of (tech) companies both domestically and internationally. He is also a former McKinsey & Company consultant.

Positive impact

“Steven and I have known each other since we were in college,” says Maarten. “We’ve kept in touch, but never worked together. It’s fantastic to be leading this wonderful company together.” Steven: “Our products and services enable dairy farmers to work smarter and more efficiently, with a lower environmental impact and higher levels of cow health and welfare. We both have a passion for businesses with a positive impact, and this is an organization where we can make a real difference with high-quality technology for a key group of entrepreneurs: dairy farmers.”

Fullwood family

Maarten: “For me, Fullwood offers a unique blend of heritage and high-end innovation. We have an impressive 240 years of experience in milking technology. We’re proud of our past and value tradition, but at the same time, our teams have a relentless focus on innovation. We’re constantly striving to refine our proposition, to suit the needs of our end users.” Steven emphasizes that family is key within the organization. “Take our dealer network, with which we’ve been a close-knit and loyal family for a long time. We’re united by a shared vision. Moreover, the dairy farms we serve through our dealers are almost all family businesses. Over the past year, we’ve worked to further strengthen the Fullwood family ties where possible.”

Dealers as a crucial link

“Fullwood’s success depends heavily on our dealers,” says Maarten. “They are the closest to the end user and have a perfect sense of their wishes, expectations, and needs. This is a rock-solid company with enormous potential. But we can only capitalize on that potential if we view dealers as colleagues, not just sales outlets.” Steven: “As a company, our role is to facilitate and support the dealer network, among other things. It’s up to us to create the operational frameworks in the various countries within which they can work optimally. For example, over the past year, we invested heavily in the supply chain and implemented administrative improvements. This has paid off, although we will, of course, continue to explore areas for further refinement.”

Growth Market

Forecasts show a steady expansion of the global market for milking machines. This movement is driven by factors such as automation in the dairy industry and a rising global demand for milk. “The momentum is very good, especially thanks to our global dealer network,” says Maarten. “Our order book for the coming year looks healthy, with particularly high demand for our flagship product, the M²erlin. We continue to combine growth with the highest possible quality. For us, these two aspects are inextricably linked.” The M²erlin will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2025. Steven: “It has truly become the standard for efficient milking. The robust M²erlin ensures higher milk yields through optimal udder emptying and has exceptionally low maintenance costs. It is also a durable machine, with a stainless-steel construction and low water and energy consumption.”

Outlook of 2026

Maarten: “We live in a time of geopolitical tensions and uncertainty. It’s naive to turn a blind eye to this, and even irresponsible as a leader of a company that operates globally. But we are well-equipped for change and can quickly anticipate. We also further strengthened our internal organization last year. For example, we have excellent teams in marketing and R&D who can further contribute to the company’s sustainable growth next year. We look forward to 2026 and wish everyone all the best!”