Brussels Metropolitan Area
I am a Government Affairs professional with 30 years of experience. Key attributes: - Extensive network of EU policy makers at the European Commission, European Parliament and Permanent Representations; - Successful advocacy campaigns in the area of collaborative research, sustainability, defense and competition law; - Domain expertise on sustainability policies, state aid, R&D funding, defense, regional development; - Leading roles in international GE Aviation projects; - Active memberships of Brussels based associations. I grew up in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, in a bi-lingual Dutch-Italian family and had the privilege of travelling the world as a child. After a year of Aeronautical and Space Engineering, I earned my Master Degree in International Law in 1996 and got an MBA in 2003. I worked as a consultant for Deloitte and PwC, in both cases as a director leading a team of professionals. During these 15 years I gained experience in both the private and public sector, of which 3 years in Brussels. In 2011 I was asked to join one of the most esteemed industrial companies, General Electric (GE), as an internal expert at the corporate Brussels office. As of February 2016, I am fully focused on GE Aerospace. What I really live for: my sons Julian (23) and Alex (11) my daughter Isa (14) my love Suzan, travelling (preferably all together) to remote places on the globe, music, dining/wining, Krav Maga.
Government relations team leader for the EU and UK, based out of Brussels. With a team of seven professionals, we optimize policy forecasting, assess the impact of policies for our company and protect our license to operate. We align our technology roadmap with existing and upcoming policies and enable collaborative research in Europe, both in the commercial and military domain. We are a trusted partner in Europe on accelerating innovation, such as hydrogen propulsion,(hybrid)electric, open fan architecture and the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuels. We support the industrial base and competitiveness of the EU and UK economy.
Leader for GE Aerospace government relations in Europe, with a focus on the EU institutions in Brussels. I developed and executed the GE Aerospace government affairs strategy to secure policy, legislative and regulatory changes (sustainable aviation, collaborative research, defense. I implemented a government affairs program geared towards securing support for GE Aviation investments in Europe and executing on a strategy to ensure the successful implementation
It was my responsibility to enable access to EU funding for GE activities in Europe. I coordinated efforts of GE experts active in the GE businesses and the Global Research Center to increase funding for GE projects for R&D, Capex and sustainability. I developed and shared best practices, tools, and processes among team members. In terms of policy shaping, I developed and implemented strategies to shape and implement legislation that have impact on our business, such as the State Aid Regulation, the Aviation Package and the General Data Protection Regulation. More on a tactical level, I worked with the European Commission for early identification of initiatives and upcoming calls for proposals. Most of my work was focused on GE Aviation where I was involved in Clean Sky 2 and the Advanced Turboprop program.
Focus on improving access to public funding for GE R&D activitities in Europe. Benchmarking and internal assessment of GE's success in obtaining funding. Developed and implemented recommendations in the European GE operations. Developed operational rythm and working process. Created and aligned virtual team of GE funding experts.
- EU R&D funding for Energy and Healthcare sectors - Business development multinational corporations in Energy and Chemical sectors - Responsible for team of 20 consultants: HR, Quality Assurance, Skills and Knowledge development - Strategy development of department
Responsible for: - EU funding for Deloitte clients for project in R&D, CapEx, HR, Environment - Business development for the international grants & incentives Deloitte network - Financial reporting to Deloitte board - HRM for consultancy team - Quality for consultancy skills and knowledge - Strategy development of department