Annemieke Nijhof appointed Chair of the Netherlands Water Partnership

Annemieke Nijhof will assume the position of Chair of the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) on 1 June 2019. She succeeds Sybe Schaap who will step down after two terms on 15 April.

About Annemieke Nijhof

Mrs Annemieke Nijhof MBA has a solid background in both public administration and water. As CEO of the Tauw, she promoted environmental consultancy and the sustainable development of human habitats. Before that, she worked at Tauw on soil and groundwater issues. As Director General of Water at the Ministry of Traffic and Water (now Infrastructure and Water), she was responsible for the Netherlands’ water policy. She was co-founder of the Delta Programme, the Delta Act, the Administrative Agreement on Water Affairs and the Topsector Water.

At present, Annemieke Nijhof performs several functions including Chair of the Mobility Sector Table of the Climate Agreement, Chair of the Evides Board of Directors, member of the Board of Directors of the Dutch Central Bank member, and Member of the Supervisory Board of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. On 1 June 2019, she will be the new figurehead of the Topsector Water & Maritime.

“My appointment to the Chair of NWP matches my personal aspiration at this point of my career to bring together all my experience and to put my efforts into my personal ideals. While studying chemical technology at the University of Twente, I worked on drinking water projects in Indonesia and knew then that water makes the difference in the quality of life. In the almost 30 years that I have been working, I have always worked on the quality and security of the human habitat and I feel at home in a knowledge intensive world that focuses on collaboration and is driven to use Dutch water knowledge around the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Forge strong ties between NWP and the water sector

Prof. Sybe Schaap was the Chair of NWP from 2011. He has a long track record in the international water sector. For example, over the years he has been deeply involved with NWP on the theme of the water crisis. He was recently part of the water & agriculture mission to Jordan and is involved in the water issue in Albania.

Next to being the Chair, he is also a VVD Member of Parliament, professor and philosopher with many titles, Chair of the Genetic Modification Committee, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Aqua for All and a guest teacher of philosophy in Prague and Kiev. He was previously Chair of the Water Board of Groot Salland and Chair of the Union of Water Boards.

Sybe Schaap is pleased with his successor. "With Annemieke Nijhof’s appointment, NWP will benefit from a very experienced and enthusiastic Chair, I am confident that she will continue to forge strong ties between NWP and the water sector, thereby using Dutch efforts to address the world’s water challenges."

Sybe Schaap will bid farewell to NWP during World Water Day on 21 March at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam.

During the interim period of 15 April (end of Sybe Schaap’s term) to 1 June (official appointment of Annemieke Nijhof), NWP board member Hein Pieper of the Union of Water Boards will assume the role of Chair.