Marlies van Wijhe was born in 1965 in the city of Zwolle (the Netherlands). She studied Business Administration at the University of Groningen.
After completing her Ms degree she started in 1989 at the Chemical Company DSM in the south of the Netherlands. In 1994 she returned to her hometown to start as an export manager at her family business Royal van Wijhe Verf, founded in 1916.
In 2000 she took over the helm of the company from her father as the 4th generation and the first female CEO. In 2010 she won the “Prix Veuve Clicquot” award, Businesswoman of the year 2010 in The Netherlands.
She now is chair of the Dutch paint association VVVF for the second time. She has a passion for Family Business and Nature. She is chair of the Dutch Family Business Association and chair of the Future for Nature Foundation.