Has worked in higher education for twenty-five years. He has held various senior management positions. He has been Head of a Faculty of Health, Dean of a School of Management and Director of postgraduate studies in Economics, Communication and Knowledge productivity. He has initiated a number of new courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. He has a strong interest in innovation in education and in the internationalisation of educational programs. In 1989 he introduced problem based learning in the School of Health and he was one of the founders of a broad European Erasmus Network for student- and staff exchange. After his Masters in Learning and Development at the TIAS Business School in Tilburg he was involved in projects related to knowledge productivity, the cooperation between education and business and the development of corporate universities.
Gert Meijer Associate Dean
Has worked in higher education for thirty years; he started his career as a lecturer in psycho-/psychoanalytical themes at a School of social work. For the last 15 years he has held posts as dean or director in the field of higher education e.g. director of an ICT academy, director of a School for social work, director of a school for HRM. He successfully introduced the concept of ‘competence-based learning’ in the Haarlem University of Professional Education. He introduced and managed a number of courses at post-graduate level. He is an entrepreneur and works as a coach/consultant for young entrepreneurs.
Ben WijeringAssociate Dean
Degree YR2 Course:Personal Coaching Programme
Was educated at the Free University of Amsterdam, Leiden University and Nijenrode University. He has broad experience in higher education in the Netherlands, both as a senior lecturer and as a manager. He developed a Bec. degree in Media & Entertainment Management in the Netherlands in 1997, the first of its kind to be accredited by the Dutch government. The MEM programme is currently the fastest growing Bachelor of Economics in Dutch higher education. He has worked as dean of the School of Media & Entertainment Management and is currently employed as associate dean at an institution of higher education in the Netherlands. He has written for and produced TV and has an extensive network in the Dutch and international entertainment industry and international education.
The Advisory Board
Hielke Wierda Secretary
Has been working in higher education for more than twenty years. He was the initiator of several postgraduate courses at Haarlem Business School: Small Business, International Business, European Business Management. In cooperation with Kingston University he developed and started the Haarlem Business School / Kingston University MBA for the Dutch market. Since 5 years ago this MBA has been AMBA accredited. He holds an Honorary Master of Business Administration from Kingston University. He is currently managing director of Wilbru BV, consultants in marketing. In this position he is involved in the HEO-ICT-project, a cooperation between Industry and Higher Education in the Netherlands. One of the topics he is working on is the development of the theory and projects of Experience Marketing. He used to be non executive member of several trading companies; currently he is a member of the shareholders’ committee of Royal Lankhorst Euronete Group BV and a board member of three charitable foundations.
Ir. Hubert DeitmersManaging Partner Van den Ende & Deitmers BV
Until 2005 he was a Member of the Executive Board of Endemol, the world’s largest independent provider of content for television, telephone and computer platforms. He joined Endemol early 1996 and has played a leading role in all acquisitions completed by the company since its IPO late 1996. Amongst others he was also responsible for Corporate Development and Legal Affairs.Prior to Endemol, Hubert has had over eight years of international venture capital experience in Europe and the US at Atlas Venture, a leading international venture capital partnership with a focus on information technology and life science.In 2005 he also co-founded Solid Ventures, an early stage venture capital partnership focussing on Dutch ICT companies. He is a supervisory board member of several companies.He holds a Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management Science from the University of Eindhoven.
Prof. Dr. J. Bunt (Retired) Professor Erasmus University Rotterdam
Richard Jager Area Directeur (Rotterdam) Randstad
Richard was born in 1971 in Wassenaar, the netherlands, and studied business in Rotterdam at the Erasmus University. He started his professional career in the field of flexible worksolutions. He has over ten years of experience in various management positions. Since 2007 Richard is appointed as Area Director at Randstad Uitzendbureau. In this job he is responsible for mass customisation in the Netherlands. His personal life consist of enjoying his wife and two kids, scubadiving, books and theatre.
Charles van Megen
(1958) studied Marketing in Utrecht (HEAO) and Organisational design and Change at the university of Groningen (RUG) before he built a career along the traditional lines of sales and marketing into general management. He has almost 20 years experience in ICT and Publishing. He worked for companies like AT&T, CSC, KPN and Wegener. Most of his career was on the international marketplace in Europe (west, central/east and Nordics), USA and Asia. Carried Profit and Loss responsibility up to 100 mio Euro and managed organizations with over 700 direct and 2000 indirect staff. Experienced both in start ups and well established companies. He always stays focussed on the financial performance and customer satisfaction. But experience has taught him that only people make great companies. Currently Vice President of the international practice of Mercuri Urval. Active in several education related foundations and associated with the New Business School to execute the Personal Coach Program. He is married, has three wonderful daughters and lives in Amsterdam.
Ir. E.E.L.A. Flohr MBAVice President Royal Lankhorst Euronete Group BV
Prof. Dr. Phillip SamouelKingston University London
Norbert PlantingaGeneral Manager Frontline EMI Music Netherlands
F. Alexander L. van den BerghManaging Director IBM
Is an experienced manager. He enjoyed being almost two decades long active in a number of International sales, marketing and business management positions in the medical device & pharmaceutical industry. He decided to dedicate the next step in his career to education and changed his focus to one of the key factors of success: interpersonal communication. After certification as NLP master practitioner he studied the areas of NLP trainer and systemic work. He is founder and owner of a training institute. The mission of his institute is to give people guidance in being successful as effective communicators. For managers he offers a special training to increase their awareness for the advantages of coaching in their job. His trainees are managers who want to develop their leadership attitudes. He combines his passion for communication & management training with a position as International education manager in a worldwide operating medical high-tech company. As member of ‘The Friends of the New Business School Amsterdam’ he especially supports the NBS passion for increasing awareness of the next generation entrepreneurs for corporate social responsibility.
Paul Schröder
(1954) has 25 years of international experience in the Venture Capital World. Previously he was senior investment manager at Atlas Ventures and after that, Managing Partner at Inter Crown Investments (Corporate Venture Capital Company of the Royal Dutch KPN). Paul started in 1997 with Residentie Investments, putting over EUR 400 million to work over the years in direct and indirect funds. Until 2005 he was the CEO and President of the Residex Venture Capital Network and until July 2002 he served as Chairman of the Dutch Venture Capital Association (NVP). He also served as a Supervisory Board Member for Life Sciences Partners Funds and the P3 Technology Fund and was on the board of former portfolio companies like SNT and Bibit. Paul Schröder holds a degree in Business Administration and Civil Law.
Joost van Niekerk
Is a physician with a business education (MBA). He has worked twelve years as a general practitioner and has build a Health Care centre. He was active as a instructor for the general practitioner education, related to the University of Utrecht. After his carrier as a general practitioner, he worked for six years in several management functions within a big insurance company in the Netherlands (Achmea). His last function was Chief Medical Officer of the Health Care insurance business unit. At the end of 2005 he was one of the founders of “StrategieConsult”, a consulting firm for the Health Care industry.
Our Programme Coordinator
Matthijs Bos
Studies political science at the University of Amsterdam. He started his professional career in the field of higher education at HEO-ICT, a subsidized project in which educational material was developed in a cooperation between industry and professional universities. After this project he was involved in the start-up and running of the Educational Service Provider “Espelon”, in which the central hosting and (didactical) support of newly developed digital educational material was organised. This experience led to a position as a product advisor with the “Digitale Universiteit”. Since a couple of months, he started his own enterprise as an advisor/coordinator within the field of ICT.
Our Lecturers
Amy Abdou MA / Vice-Chair NBS Exam Board
Degree YR2: The Fuel (Sociology)
Amy Abdou holds a BA in Political Science and MA in Sociology from the University of Albany. In 2002, she relocated to the Netherlands where she earned a second MA in Migration and Ethnic Studies from the Universiteit van Amsterdam.
After graduating, Amy worked for the International School for Humanities and Social Sciences as a programme manager for short term study abroad programmes. She also established her own business in the Netherlands, working as a cultural liaison for Dutch companies doing business abroad.
She currently also teaches in the faculty of Applied Behavioral and Social Sciences at Webster University in Leiden and works as project coordinator for the National Institute for the study of Dutch slavery and its legacy.
Bart Verhulst
Degree YR2:Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Degree YR3:Start-Up Management
Bart Verhulst is a business alliance consultant specialised in cooperative business venturing.
He has experience in coaching SME’s in development stages and internationalisation. Besides running his own business development firm since 1999, he is director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and business alliance coach at diverse company incubators.
Cees Koomen
Degree YR1:Principles of Finance & Accounting
Degree YR2:Financial Management
Degree YR2:Management Accounting
Cees Koomen Msc MRE started teaching in 2007 at Nyenrode Business University. Using Accounting & Finance as cornerstone, his activities expanded to The Amsterdam School of Real Estate, The New Business School and the DNV.
Cees combines theory with practice. As an entrepreneur he has an independent advisory role to Real Estate investment- & development companies. Projects include the combination of real estate (funds), finance & information technology. Current clients are Bouwfonds Real Estate Investment Management, Ymere Ontwikkeling & Bouwfonds ontwikkeling.
Cees holds a bachelor degree in Management, Economics & Law, specialisation Real Estate (Haarlem Business School), holds a master degree in Management (Nyenrode Business University) and holds a master degree in Real Estate (Amsterdam School of Real Estate).
Born 3 September 1966 in Liverpool UK. Obtained a BTEC Higher National Diploma in 1998 at Doncaster Metropolitan Institute of Higher Education in Mineral Surveying; subsequently graduated in the same subject at Leeds University in 1991. Christine started an international career as a hydrographic surveyor with the Dutch-British dredging contractor Royal Boskalis Westminster BV, working on many projects around the world as Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Suriname, Ireland and The Netherlands. Worked as a client representative and checking engineer for the Rijkswaterstaat.
From 1996, Christine deviated from dredging into offshore oil and gas exploration with Osiris BV and Fugro Survey BV moving away from field work into data management, validation and client orientated reporting. Retrained in 2005 as an English Language Teacher at The British Language Training Centre in Amsterdam gaining a Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA).
Since graduating she has taught courses in preparing students for the Cambridge ESOL Main Suite of Examinations which include First Certificate English, Certificate in Advanced English, Certificate of Proficiency in English and Certificate in Business English. Alongside this, she teaches courses in general and business English at all levels at various language training centres as well as in- company courses. Has trained students in academic writing at the International School for Humanities and Social Sciences (ISHSS) in Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Christine is currently an oral examiner for the Cambridge Main Suite of Examinations for the British Council of the Netherlands.
Christine Fitzgerald
Foundation Year:Management & HR
Foundation Year: Personal Coaching 1
Degree YR2:People & Organisations
Degree YR2:Personal Coaching 2
Degree YR2: Change Management
Degree YR3: Managing Business Resources
Degree YR3: Personal Coaching 3
Christine Fitzgerald has been an Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Management at Webster University since 1985 and was head of their department of Behavioral and Social Sciences from 1992 until 1999 and from 2000 until 2003. In early 2007 she joined the faculty of the New Business School in Amsterdam giving courses and personal coaching to their undergraduate students.
She served for nine years as Assistant Professor of Marketing at Nijenrode University and has also been a faculty member of European University, Echelon University and the Hotel School of the Hague. Her corporate experience includes a professional post at Chemical Bank (now Chase) in New York City, where she worked in marketing research and strategic long-term planning, project management, and corporate training. A magna cum laude graduate of Pace University, she received the MA in developmental psychology from Columbia University. She is the recipient of the Prince Fellow Award for Distinguished excellence in teaching, the Pace University Award for Excellence in Psychology, the Percy H. Johnson Award for Academic Excellence and was a nominee for the William T. Kemper Award for Excellence in Teaching (2004-2005 and 1999-2000).
Ms. Fitzgerald is a co-founder and director of Vivace: Professional Development, an organization specializing in management training, seminars, workshops and coaching and she has provided business education in North America, Europe and Asia.
Daniëlla Brals
Foundation Year: Maths & Stats Foundation
Daniëlla Brals started her teaching career a few years ago at the University of Amsterdam. Next to teaching mathematics and statistics and finishing her MSc degree in Econometrics, she is doing research at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labor studies. At the moment, her research focuses on the effects of educational assortative mating – i.e. that individuals tend to form a couple with partners who are similar with respect to education – on household wage earnings inequality in Europe.
Her extracurricular activities include among other things: Chairmanship of the Econometric Game 2009 – that is the World Championship for Econometrics, being editor of a journal and board membership of several education committees that focus on the improvement of education.
Drs. Fred Huibers
Degree YR2: Introduction to Financial Management
Degree YR3: Strategic Financial Management
Degree YR3: Asset Management
Fred Huibers started his career as fund manager at the Robeco and Rabobank. In 2002 he was appointed Global Head of Equity Capital Markets at ING. In 2007 he decided to become an entrepreneur and is now owner and Managing Partner of the investment firm HEK (Haags Effekten Kantoor) asset management. Fred was also nominated professor at TiasNimbas business school in Tilburg.
After finishing his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University in Washington DC, Fred attended the University of Louvain, where he received his Master of Business Administration degree. He received the PhD degree from the Tilburg University in Financial Economics.
Iain Wolfson
Foundation Year:Academic Writing Foundation
Foundation Year:Business English Foundation
Degree YR2:Academic Writing Advanced
Degree YR2:Business English Advanced
Prior to his teaching career Iain was a restaurant owner and co-ran a very successful restaurant in Amsterdam, where he also imported organic products from South Africa.
Iain started his teaching career in the 90’s, having a background in modern languages. After obtaining his Certificate English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) from Cambridge University he went on to design and teach a range of courses including academic writing, business English & presentations, at UvA ( University of Amsterdam) VU (Vrij Universiteit) HES (Economische Hogeschool) ISHSS (International School for Humanities and Social Sciences) teaching M.A. and PhD students. In addition to this he also played an active role in the Tweetaligonderwijs system in The Netherlands, which included training Dutch secondary school teachers for Cambridge Proficiency English ( CPE) , observing their lessons and providing feedback & advice. He also worked on numerous projects for BLTC ( British Language Training Centre ) in Amsterdam.
He went on to study for Cambridge DELTA ( Diploma English Langauge Teaching to Adults ) in London. After graduating he trained as a CELTA tutor, and designs and delivers Cambridge CELTA courses in Amsterdam, training people to become teachers of English to speakers of other languages.
Iain trained and qualified as an official Cambridge University examiner for the following examinations, KET, PET. FCE, CAE, CPE, BEC Preliminary/Vantage & Higher. In addition to this he is also an official examiner for ILEC, IFCE & YLE, and IELTS examiner for Cambridge and British Council.
Jacinta Noonan
Degree YR1:NBS Tools
Degree YR2:Introduction to Creative Business
Jacinta Noonan holds a Degree in Training, a Bachelor of Science Psychology, she is a certified coach and an Master NLP Practitioner. She has worked in the field of training and development for over 25 years.
Originally from Melbourne Australia, Jacinta relocated to the Netherlands in 1990 and began her career in adult education. She gained a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) in the UK and worked as a language trainer for a number of years. While in this position, she also gained management experience in her role as Head of English. After that she moved into management development and worked for an international pharmaceutical company developing and delivering training courses for their local companies world -wide.
Jacinta left the corporate world in 2001 to start her own business in training and coaching serving clients from a diverse range of industries, for example: fashion, banking & finance, gas & fuel industry and IT companies.
Jacinta is an entrepreneur at heart and is the founder of three successful businesses. She is passionate about creative businesses, new media, entrepreneurism, marketing and psychology. And she is particularly interested in helping young people tap into their full potential.
Jennifer Tucker
Degree YR1:The Fuel (Creative Industries)
Degree YR3:Business Economics
Jennifer has an MBA in Global Business & Sustainability from RSM – Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, a diploma from the International Business & Management Centre Brussels and has followed management and development courses during her tenure at NBC Universal Studios, PolyGram and UPC/ Liberty Global.
Jennifer’s career spans the breadth of the film and television content industry, starting initially in traditional linear television at Channel 9 in Australia. In Europe she side stepped into the content distribution business where she spent 6 career developing years at the global entertainment distribution company Alliance Atlantis (of CSI series fame). Thereafter, she became Managing Director of Universal Pictures/PolyGram Television Benelux, Director of Services for ChelloMedia (a Liberty Global company), Head of Content for eircom Telecommunications and her own successful media consultancy, with clients including eircom Ireland, Alcatel Lucent International and Bossa Entertainment in New York.
During Jennifer’s career she has worked on the successful launch of 15 different digital television services in cable, IPTV and satellite. Jennifer has a vast knowledge of the media and entertainment industry and has a vast network of contacts within that industry.
Jennifer’s expertises are in negotiating content, intellectual property rights, content operations, service development, marketing and strategy. Jennifer also has an extensive background in paralegal work and negotiating with regulatory authorities.
Drs. Jim van der Meer Mohr
Degree YR2:The Fuel (Aspects of Art)
After having finished his study Art History in Utrecht (1983) Jim has worked as an auctioneer and valuer at e.g. Phillips Auctioneers and Sotheby’s. Furthermore he has taken positions at Aon Artscope Fine Art Insurance Brokers and Apresa Valuations (of art and antiques); next to his jobs he has been a board member of the Bredius Museum in The Hague for 20 years.
In 2005 Jim started his own consultancy as Fine Art Consultant. Next to valuations of art and antiques for insurance and other purposes, he is active as guest lecturer to a.o. Radboud University Nijmegen and HOVO The Hague. He is also frequently asked as guest speaker for banks and insurance companies. Finally he uses his art historical skills as researcher and author. Since 1983 Jim has written over 100 papers for (art) magazines and published 5 books. Currently he is also vice-charirman of the Geschiedkundige Vereniging Oranje-Nassau.
Drs. Kar Yin Lam
Degree YR2: Business Decision Making
Kar Yin is advisor at the Quantitative Analysis group in the Advisory practice for PwC in the Netherlands. After obtaining her PhD in Econometrics at the Erasmus University she joined PwC.
She has experiences with statistical analyses of data and database management to evaluate and control data in SQL and MS Access. Furthermore, she is lecturer for courses at Nyenrode Business University and NBS and act as (internship) thesis advisor.
Marjon van Opijnen MSc MA
Degree YR3: The Fuel (CSR & Ethics)
Marjon holds a Master Degree in Business Science (1996) of the Radboud University Nijmegen and a Master in Applied Ethics (2009) of the University of Utrecht. In addition, she studied Commerce at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) for a year.
Currently, she is unit coordinator and senior consultant in the areas of corporate social responsibility at CREM Consultancy. In this position Marjon is responsible for a wide range of projects, such as implementation of trajectories of CSR at companies and organisations, trainings for entrepreneurs in developing countries, international supply chains and multistakeholder processes. She is particularly interested in social-economic development in developing countries and emerging economies in relation to international business practices.
Since 2000 she has been working in the field of sustainable (international) development. Prior to joining CREM, she worked for Médecines sans Frontières and Cordaid, both Dutch organisations in the area of humanitarian and development aid. She was responsible for Financial Management and Human resources management in the countries where she was based in Africa and Asia. She gained her experience in the commercial and banking sector in the position of account manager at the Triodos Bank and her position as product manager in the potato starch and paper industry.
Martijn A. Han MSc
Foundation Year:Mathematics & Statistics Foundation
Born in 1980, Martijn A. Han is doing now his PhD studies in Economics at the University of Amsterdam. Martijn’s dissertation is on cartels. The second chapter of his dissertation was awarded the 2011 Robert F. Lanzillotti Prize for best paper in antitrust economics at the annual International Industrial Organization Conference (IIOC), in Boston.
Martijn holds a MSc in Mathematical Economics (2007, “with distinction”) from the London School of Economics. He also obtained a BSc in Econometrics (2006, “cum laude”), an MSc in Medicine (2005), and a propeadeutics in Cultural Studies (2003) from the University of Amsterdam. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, Martijn worked as an Assistant Economist at the U.K. Competition Commission and as an Economic Summer Intern at the U.K. Office of Fair Trading. He also assisted in several private economic consultancy projects.
In addition to his theoretical interest in economics competition, Martijn runs several entrepreneurial ventures. He is the co-creator of a small t-shirt label, runs a webshop in lamps, and provides GMAT and GRE test-preparation courses in Amsterdam through his institute GMAT & GRE Maths Netherlands.
Drs. Matt van der Poel RM
Degree YR2:Experience Marketing
Drs. Matt van der Poel RM (43) studied HEAO-CE at the Ichthus Hogeschool in Rotterdam, where he graduated in 1989. In 1996 he completed his academic study (evening) on Management Sciences at the Open University. In 2002 and 2003 he completed two post academic executive courses at the University of Amsterdam in Strategic Management and Experience Economy. In 2003 he was appointed Registered Marketer (RM).
Since 2003 Matt van der Poel is Partner & CXO at Fresh Forward, an agency specialised in next level marketing and innovation. He started his career in 1990 as Project Manager at ISEO Marketing Research, then moved to Transavia Airlines to become Manager Marketing, Research & Development. After that he was Director at marketing & research agency Censydiam. Before he joined Fresh Forward, he was Director Strategy & Marketing at TUI Netherlands during four years.
Furthermore Matt van der Poel is guest lecturer at the Academy for Management in Groningen and the New Business School Amsterdam. He has written several articles about futurology, innovation and experience marketing and regularly speaks at conferences. He is also chairman of the experience marketing department of NIMA.
Michael Vagias
Degree YR2:Law, Business & Society
Michael Vagias started his legal career in September 2004 as an Intern at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (Legal Advisory Section). In 2005-2007 Michael worked in the areas of international human rights law and EU Public Procurement in the Center of International and European Economic Law in Greece.
In 2007-8 he participated in the case Djibouti v. France in the International Court of Justice as Counsel for the Republic of Djibouti. Since 2009 he acted as counsel and lead counsel in European Court of Human Rights litigation. He has taught and currently teaching as a lecturer and as a guest lecturer in various universities in the Netherlands and abroad on international law, international criminal law as well as principles of civil law.
Michael holds a Ph.D. from Leiden University on Public International – International Criminal Law, following the successful defence of his thesis on ‘The Territorial Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court – Certain Contested Issues’at Leiden University. He holds an Advanced LL.M. with Honours in Public International Law with an International Criminal Law Specialization awarded by Leiden University (2004) and a Bachelor Degree in Law by Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (2003). He was a National Scholarship Foundation Scholar (Hellenic Republic National Scholarship Foundation , 2008-2010) and a Dimitrius Evrigenis Scholar (Center of International and European Economic Law, 2005-2007), as well as winner of the 2002 Telder’s International Law Moot Court Competition.
Nikki Kluyskens
Degree YR3: Creativity & Creative Techniques
Nikki has 25 years of experience in acting and directing many theater shows. She founded her own theater company and has toured extensively through European festivals. She wrote several plays for children and performed those throughout the Netherlands and, in parallel, she also worked as a drama teacher.
In 1996 Nikki started working as a commercial communication trainer and role-playing specialist, writing scenes for training purposes and since 2009 she has been working as a tutor of creative thinking for higher education.
After doing her studies at Theater School Fratellini (Paris) on Drama and Circus Techniques, Nikki studied Theatrical Direction at the Theatre School of Amsterdam. In addition to these studies, she also attended several courses in psychological training such as: NLP, Transactional Analyses, Family constellations, the Work of Byron Kathie.
Paul Lomans
Degree YR3: Personal Coaching 3
Paul was educated at the London School of Foreign Trade and Nyenrode University. He started his career as a member of the export department of NKF, but after three years took over the family business from his father as managing director and DGA of Lomans Groep Totaalinstallateurs – an all-round, independent and modern family business, specialized in design, realisation and maintenance of mechanical, electrical, ICT, telecom and security systems for residential and commercial buildings. He has always been involved in projects related to the cooperation between business and education.
After 27 years, Paul stepped down as managing director. He is and remains an entrepreneur at heart who wants to transfer his knowledge and experience. He now works as a personal- and business coach.
Randy Bootland
Foundation Year:Entrepreneurship 101
Degree YR2: Marketing
Degree YR3: Business Planning
Randy Bootland is a Canadian who has been living and working in the Europe since 1987. He has taught over 250 courses and given more than 2.500 classes at the BA, MA and MBA levels in North America, Europe and Asia. He also coaches young entrepreneurs to begin socially responsible businesses.
He earned an MBA from York University in Toronto and was selected to participate in an exchange program in Paris (ESSEC). His business experience includes working as a communications specialist for an enterprise and development center at one of Canada's leading universities, functioning as the marketing coordinator/associate director for a local campus of a global university, and serving as a strategic advisor for a world renowned architectural firm with operations in five countries.
Rick Molenaar Foundation Year:Information Science Degree YR2:Business Information Systems
Degree YR2: ICT & Media
Degree YR3: Operations Management
Rick Molenaar has worked with Information Technology for over 30 years. Starting as a programmer, Rick moved up to Vice President Sales and Marketing within Quality & Results, a Dutch consulting firm in the IT business segment.
After obtaining a Master degree from Kingston University London in 1994, Rick was Benelux Manager for Speedware Corporation, Business Unit Manager for British Telecom and General Manager with Internet Laboratories. In the new millennium Rick moved from management to the consultancy business for the French firm Altran and since 2010 Rick owns his own consultancy firm specialized in IT strategy and Business Process improvement.
Ross Gardner
Foundation Year: General Economics
FoundationYear: Showcase Project 1
Degree YR2:Project Management
Born in the USA, Ross Gardner has been a successful international business consultant for the past 18 years based in Europe. Ross recently completed his second MBA from RSM and 4 other universities in China, Brazil, Mexico and the USA. Ross is now working on a PhD at Nyenrode, researching the success factors of virtual teams.
Sem Bakker
Degree YR3:Creative Business Law
Sem obtained his degree in Dutch law at the University of Amsterdam in 2002. Since 2005 Sem has been teaching intellectual property law at the InHolland University of Applied Sciences to students International Music Management. He also teaches regularly at the New Business School of Amsterdam.
In 2008, Sem founded Van Heemstra Bakker together with Hugo van Heemstra. Sem joined Rohe Advocaten as a partner in June 2010.
From 1994 to 2008, Sem composed and played bass guitar in the band "Caesar", performing both in the Netherlands as well as abroad. Caesar released a total of 5 albums and had two hits. The second recording won them the prestigious "Silver Harp" award.
Serena Haenen Foundation Year:Personal Coaching 1 Degree YR2:Personal Coaching 2
Degree YR3: Personal Coaching 3
Serena Haenen (1969) studied Social and Organizational Psychology at the University of Leiden. After her graduation she started, and still runs, her own consultancy business. This small organization is specializing in HR development (psychological testing, assessments, leadership training and personal coaching). In this context she coached several young entrepreneurs in their initial stage of (internet) start-up.
Next to these activities she was guest lecturer at various Universities, like Webster University and Vrije Universiteit. She taught HR related courses, like HR and Organizational Development, and Social Psychology.
The Support Staff
Alexander Wright BSc., MSc. Born 10 December 1975 in Swindon, England, began his university education at The University of Plymouth (UK). In 1998 he gained a 1st class B.Sc. with honors in Geograpy. During his thesis fieldwork he met and worked with Dr. Orson van de Plassche from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (VU). It was this connection that brought him to The Netherlands where, a year after his graduation, he was to embark on a journey into the world of scientific research. Based at the VU, in the last 7 years he has worked on two major European funded research projects involving the reconstruction of past sea-levels from the geological record, in 2005 gained a cum laude M.Sc. in the Department of Palaeoclimatology and Geomorphology, gave numerous presentations at national and international conferences, and is in the final stages of completing a Ph.D. thesis. When not working at the New Business School, Amsterdam or on his research, he enjoys the gym, climbing, books and films, socialising with friends and attempting to learn the Dutch language.
