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Roland Kahn over de ‘ups’ & ‘downs’

Selfmade ondernemer Roland Kahn vertelt in het boek KAHN – Mijn leven, mijn liefdes, mijn werk over zijn meeslepende leven, zijn liefdes en zijn werk. De 70-jarige ondernemer blikt terug op zijn avonturen als beginnend ondernemer en de kleurrijke retail-loop- en achtbaan die daarop volgde. Auteur Reinilde van Ekris legde Rolands verhaal vast. De volledige opbrengst van KAHN gaat naar het Antoni van Leeuwenhoek.
Dik Nicolai

In the book, Kahn looks back on his adventures as a starting entrepreneur and the colorful retail career that followed. For example, he discusses the early years of CoolCat and the buy & build strategy that led to the acquisitions of America Today, MS Mode, among others, as well as his attempts to take over V&D and HEMA. His very first steps as a real estate owner and investor, which formed the basis for his current business empire Cool Investments, are also discussed.

The book, which reads like a suspense novel, is thus not only "required reading" for entrepreneurial people, but at the same time interesting for anyone interested in the person behind the businessman.

Uninhibitedly honest

Besides the main character, Roland Kahn, Reinilde van Ekris also spoke for the book with, among others, his three adult children, former commissioner Dries van de Beek and entrepreneur Bas Smit about their relationship and cooperation with Roland. Each of them was uninhibitedly honest in the process. Reinilde van Ekris: "I have interviewed many entrepreneurs. But never before have I heard the main character and also his immediate inner circle talk so candidly about what occupied and keeps them busy. It led to a story in which you fall from one surprise into another. It was very fascinating to write this."

The proceeds

The book KAHN, - My life, my loves, my work is available from VD.nl and (online) bookstores. All net proceeds from the book will benefit research into the treatment of patients with melanoma skin cancer at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (AVL).

Roland Kahn is closely involved with this hospital as a donor and is grateful to all the staff at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek for their unwavering commitment to his own cure and that of many other patients.

The research that Roland plans to fund with his own donations and the proceeds from the book seeks to answer why some patients (like Roland himself) respond so wonderfully well to a new immunotherapy, while others do not. In this way, the AVL hopes to better determine who needs which therapy and how the treatment can be made even more effective.