Career
On 18 October 1935 Frits Philips was appointed vice-director and a member of the board of Philips.
Learning of the expected occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany in World War II in 1940, his father Anton Philips, young nephew Frans Otten, the other Philips family members escaped from the Netherlands and fled to the United States, taking company capital with them. Frits Philips stayed in the Netherlands. Together they managed to keep the company alive during the war.
From 30 May until 20 September 1943, Philips was held in the concentration camp Vught because of a strike at the Philips factory. During the Occupation, Philips saved the lives of 382 Jews by convincing the Nazis that they were indispensable for the production process at Philips. In 1996, he was recognized by Yad Vashem as among the Righteous Among the Nations for his actions.
In 1961, Philips succeeded Frans Otten as president of the company. He served in this position for 10 years; in 1971 he was succeeded by Henk van Riemsdijk.
At the age of 100, on 5 December 2005, Philips died from complications resulting from a fall in November.
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