Obituary: Frits Philips

* Frits Philips, Philips CEO, saved Jewish workers' lives during WWII. Died age 100.

The former head of the Dutch electronics giant Philips who helped save the lives of hundreds of Jewish workers during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II has died at the age of 100.

Frits Philips was chief executive of the firm between 1961 and 1971. During World War II, Philips stayed behind in the German-occupied Netherlands, while other family members fled to North America.

He secured positions at his factory in the Vught prison camp for as many Jews as possible, delaying their deportation to Auschwitz. Philips was imprisoned by the Nazis after a strike during the war and was awarded the Yad Vashem medal by Israel in 1995 for his efforts to save Jewish workers.

About 380 prisoners survived of the 496 who worked for him.