Richard Wielinga appointed as member of the Saxion Executive Board
The Supervisory Board has appointed Richard Wielinga as member of the Saxion Executive Board (CvB) as of 1 September 2024. He succeeds Jan Willem Meinsma, who left at the end of 2023. Within the Executive Board he will be responsible for the business operations portfolio, which includes ICT, HRM, Finance and Real Estate. Wielinga is currently working as interim Director of Operational Services at the municipality of Amsterdam.
Richard is an experienced and enthusiastic director / general manager at public organisations. He has worked in executive positions at various municipalities between 2003 and 2022. After studying public administration at the University of Twente, he started his career as an organisation consultant at Twynstra Gudde. Most recently, Richard was a member of the Board of Directors at the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (Social Insurance Bank), where he was also responsible for the business operations portfolio.
Karl Dittrich, Chair of the Supervisory Board, explains the motivation behind the appointment of Wielinga: “The selection committee was impressed by the quality of all the candidates it spoke to. In the end, we chose Richard because of his broad experience with ‘business operations’, his knowledge of the region and his large and diverse network. We are convinced that Richard and Saxion will make an excellent combination!”
Anka Mulder, President of the Executive Board, is enthusiastic about Wielinga’s appointment: “Richard is very familiar with our region and has a track record in the field of business operations. Furthermore, I think he will be a very pleasant colleague. I look forward to working with him.”
Richard Wielinga is looking forward to starting at Saxion: “Saxion’s profile and the role of a university of applied sciences in society and the region all really appeal to me. That’s why I’m very much looking forward to working at Saxion and contributing to the importance of the applied university. The sustainable development of organisations is a common thread in my career and one I’m also happy to commit to at Saxion.”
Along with Anka Mulder and Timo Kos, Richard Wielinga will soon complete the Executive Board at Saxion with locations in Enschede, Deventer and Apeldoorn. Saxion has more than 26,000 students and approximately 3,200 employees.