The Supervisory Board of the Amsterdam University of the Arts has appointed Caroline Visser as Vice-President of the Executive Board, effective 1 September. Caroline Visser is currently serving as interim Managing Director at Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) and was Vice-President of the Executive Board of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) from 2016 to 2024. She succeeds David van Traa, who earlier this year announced his departure from the AHK in July. From September onwards, Caroline Visser will form the two-member Executive Board together with President Annet Lekkerkerker.

Caroline Visser brings extensive experience in the governance and management of non-profit organisations. During her time at NWO, she was responsible for organisational development, operations and finance, real estate and major scientific infrastructure, risk management, and overall safety and security. Prior to her role at NWO, she worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Dutch branch of the same organisation (WNF). In addition to her current interim position at Milieudefensie, she also serves as Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Teylers Museum and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of Stichting Ark.

Edwin van Huis, Chair of the Supervisory Board of AHK, comments on her appointment: “We are greatly impressed by Caroline Visser’s outstanding track record. She has successfully led several major non-profit organisations. Her many years of experience in areas such as operations, finance, real estate and risk management are a strong match for her future responsibilities within AHK. We look forward with confidence to a fruitful collaboration between Caroline and Executive Board President Annet Lekkerkerker.”

Annet Lekkerkerker, President of the Executive Board, reacts: “I am delighted to welcome Caroline Visser. Over the past two years, I have greatly enjoyed working with David van Traa, and the AHK has benefitted significantly from his expertise in, among other things, finance and operations. Caroline Visser brings equally valuable experience in these areas. She understands what it means to work within government-funded organisations and is well acquainted with the world of practice-based research. I am looking forward to a strong collaboration and am pleased to form the Executive Board with her.”

The University Council of the AHK has issued a positive recommendation regarding the appointment of Caroline Visser. A delegation from the council, consisting of one student member and one staff member, took part in the selection committee.