Amazon today announced three new Country Managers across its EU Emerging Stores - Yannick Van Heers in Belgium, Christianne Deregnaucourt-Lebouille in the Netherlands, and Julian Tydeman in Sweden. All three report to Gulfem Toygar, who has taken on a newly created role as Managing Director, EU Emerging Stores, who is now responsible for five countries across the EU: Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden.
Gulfem says: "I'm thrilled to welcome Christianne, Julian and Yannick as our newest country managers. Each of them is an outstanding leader who put our customers at the centre of everything they do, and I'm excited for what we'll build together. These appointments reflect the momentum we've built across EU Emerging Stores, and as we head into our busiest time of year, our commitment to our customers and to the European businesses selling with us has never been stronger."
Yannick Van Heers — Country Manager, Amazon Belgium
Yannick has been with Amazon since 2018, holding a range of leadership roles across the company including several roles in Amazon’s logistics and operations teams, and most recently leading strategy for Amazon’s pick up and return network across Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. Prior to Amazon, Yannick spent 7 years at AB-InBev in Belgium, joining as a Global Management Trainee before rotating through leadership roles across Logistics, Procurement and Innovations, delivering commercial projects across North America, Europe and APAC.
Yannick says: "After 8 wonderful years leading many of our operations teams in Europe, it's great to be focusing on my home country of Belgium. Taking on the role of Country Manager is a true honor, and I'm excited to bring my experience to keep enhancing the service we offer our customers and to help Belgian SMEs grow their business through Amazon. My ambition is clear: make amazon.com.be the go-to destination for Belgian shoppers and the launchpad for Belgian businesses to sell across Europe and beyond."
Christianne Deregnaucourt-Lebouille — Country Manager, Amazon Netherlands
Christianne joined Amazon in 2020 as Head of Marketing and Amazon's Prime program for the Netherlands and Sweden, and has since led Amazon's Prime membership program across the EU for the past three years. Before joining Amazon, she held marketing and commercial roles at Procter & Gamble and Estée Lauder Companies across a wide range of businesses and geographies, including the Netherlands, France and Switzerland.
Christianne says "Leading Amazon in the Netherlands and serving the customers and communities I know so well, is a genuine honour. Dutch customers have high expectations and are among the most digitally savvy in Europe, and it's a privilege to lead a team so committed to earning their trust every day. I look forward to working with our talented colleagues and our many Dutch sellers to build on the strong momentum we've created, bringing customers even greater selection, low prices and the convenience of ever-faster delivery, right as we head into the busiest shopping season of the year."
Julian Tydeman — Country Manager, Amazon Sweden
Julian has been with Amazon since 2009, holding leadership roles across the UK, Luxembourg and Sweden for more than 17 years. He was part of the team that launched Amazon.se in 2020 and has since held several senior positions within the Swedish and European business, most recently leading Customer Experience and Onsite Marketing for Amazon's Emerging Stores in Europe. Before Amazon, Julian served five years in the British Army as a Captain in the Royal Signals, and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Julian said: “Sweden holds a special place for me, both professionally and personally. I was part of launching Amazon.se, I live here with my family, and I have seen first-hand how much the team has achieved. Gulfem has built something strong here, and I am glad she will stay close as I take on this new role. My focus is simple: to keep listening to Swedish customers and small businesses and to keep making Amazon work better for them, starting with this holiday season.”
Amazon continues to invest to deliver the best possible selection, low prices every day, and fast, convenient deliveries for customers across Europe. In 2025 alone, Amazon invested more than €60 billion in Europe, including more than €40 billion in the European Union. Today, Amazon supports over 1.5 million jobs in Europe. This figure includes 230,000+ employees; an extended workforce of 400,000+ contractors, seasonal workers and other temporary positions; an estimated 500,000+ indirect jobs in areas such as construction, logistics and professional services, 185,000+ induced jobs in the European economy1; and an estimated 600,000+ jobs created by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) selling on Amazon in Europe.
