Johan Somerwil (1926–2009) joined Meulenhoff in 1943 later becoming Vice President and then President in 1971. He was also a board member of Kluwer and then Wolters Kluwer as well as being involved in the Comité van Importeurs van Boeken en Tijdschriften (CIBT, committee of book and magazine importers), the Uitgevers Distributie Centrum (UDC, publishers’ distribution centre) and the Uitgevers Verkoop Maatschappij (UVEMA, publishers’ vending company).