Rappit welcomes tech visionary Johan den Haan as Strategic Advisor
PUTTEN, NETHERLANDS – September 10, 2025 – Rappit, the leading provider of AI-led enterprise application development, is excited to announce the appointment of Johan den Haan as its Strategic Advisor. In this role, he will advance the product strategy and drive the AI-led development platform toward mass adoption. Den Haan, a recognized technology expert, is best known as the visionary behind the low-code movement and celebrated for his remarkable 17-year tenure as Chief Technology Officer at Mendix.
At Mendix, Den Haan was a key figure in the company’s growth, where he helped shape the technical strategy and led the research and product development teams. Under his leadership, the R&D team expanded from 5 to over 550 full-time employees, and Mendix became the leading low-code vendor before being acquired by Siemens. After leaving Mendix, Den Haan took a sabbatical and now joins Rappit.
Ardjan Baan, CEO of Rappit, expresses his excitement about the new addition: “We are thrilled to have Johan on board. His expertise and vision will be invaluable as we continue to sharpen our product strategy, refine our roadmap, and enhance our overall product development and positioning. This appointment comes at a pivotal moment: Rappit is experiencing strong growth and rising demand for no-vendor lock-in and AI-led application development. The pace of market developments is dizzying, and Johan’s extensive track record will be crucial in helping us evolve our product in the right direction for mass adoption.”
Den Haan shares the company’s enthusiasm for its vision and product: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast. That statement captures my view on building a successful company, and it’s exactly why I’m excited to join Rappit. I’m impressed by the talent and culture that drive this organization, and I truly believe in the potential of this company and its products.”
Den Haan highlights what sets Rappit apart, stating: “The Rappit Platform is enterprise-ready at its core. The focus on modernization of core applications and genuine no vendor lock-in is a powerful play in today’s application development market. With a roadmap that puts AI-led development at the center, Rappit can move faster and smarter than the established players in the industry.”
Baan adds by stating: “Our platform is unique because it combines the agile approach of ‘vibe coding’ with all the enterprise-grade capabilities needed for validating, managing, and maintaining the generated models. This makes it perfect not just for small, throwaway projects, but for modernizing core legacy applications such as Transportation Management Systems and building new, complex solutions. Our AI-led approach to generating future-ready enterprise applications helps today’s leaders to unlock their operational excellence by building intelligent and data-aware software around the way they win.”
Den Haan will serve on the Advisory Board alongside Willem van Enter, former VP of the EMEA region of OutSystems, and Ramanathan Subramanian, who served amongst others as the head of Baan Company in India and has worked with Rappit founder Jan Baan for over 35 years.
About Rappit
Rappit is a European enterprise software modernization provider offering a future-ready, without vendor lock-in, AI-led application development platform for hundreds of thousands of users. Specializing in software development, data, AI, and cloud operations, Rappit partners with Google Cloud. With 300+ employees, Rappit serves global brands like Hunkemöller, NewPort, Plukon, Eijerkamp, Omoda, HOYER Group, Solvay, Syensqo, and Valeo.
