HomeNewsJaap Beernink appointed chairman of the board at Novel-T

Jaap Beernink appointed chairman of the board at Novel-T

The Founders and Supervisory Board of Novel-T (formerly Kennispark Twente) have appointed Jaap Beernink to the post of chairman of the board of directors. He will assume day-to-day leadership of the organization on 10 April.

Beernink’s arrival also heralds a governance change at Novel-T. Novel-T has been the driver of innovation and enterprise in Twente for nearly a decade. Novel-T’s mission is to turn Twente into Europe’s best performing ecosystem for high-tech innovation and entrepreneurship. In collaboration with the business community, government, research centres and institutes of education, Novel-T is actively promoting the innovation of the Twente economy, resulting in 11,000 new jobs, international upscaling of business cases in the SME sector and a large number of young growth companies that are set to become international players.  

“Facilitating the game changers of tomorrow”

AMBITIOUS MISSION

Beernink’s arrival heralds a governance change at Novel-T. He will lead a small and dynamic management team - including current director Pieter Dillingh - that is in charge of the organization’s various activities, all of which will continue to be based on intensive cooperation with Novel-T’s founding partners (the University of Twente, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the City of Enschede, the Twente Region and the Province of Overijssel).

Novel-T’s new ambitions will require an even greater level of decisiveness and a solid and internationally oriented profile. Beernink explains: “My goal is to facilitate tomorrow’s game changers as they go from success to success: top talents, researchers and companies that are going to make a real difference. They do not necessarily have to be at that point yet, but the potential has to be there. This explicit ambition requires a clear direction. We will have to make unambiguous choices and base them primarily on the added value that will benefit our target groups. I therefore have full faith in our ability to turn the range of products and services into real-world commodities thanks to intensive cooperation between the partners, and I believe in the importance of transparent metrics.”

CONCRETE AND VISIBLE RESULTS

“Jaap Beernink is a decisive director who can make a significant contribution to turning Novel-T’s aspirations into reality,” says Victor van der Chijs, chairman of the Executive Board of the University of Twente, on behalf of the founding partners of Novel- T. “That is crucial, because the regional economy and the employment opportunities available depend highly on high-tech innovation and an enterprising spirit. Jaap has broad entrepreneurial experience and can take a fresh and inventive approach to the challenges we face. We very much look forward to working with him as he pilots Novel-T to a successful future.”

Beernink, who will retain a position at Golden Egg Check, says: “I am personally driven by a robust pioneering spirit. My goal is to achieve tangible and visible results that have real added value. I see myself as an enterprising individual, and this new position will enable me to engage with challenges together with the team as we work on achieving all of Novel-T’s aspirations.”

About
Jaap Beernink
Chairman of the board of directors of Novel-T

Jaap Beernink (33 years old) is co-founder of Golden Egg Check, a company that provides services and software to entrepreneurs to support them as they develop and validate compelling business cases for their innovative ideas. Beernink has also been the chairman of the Twente Technology Circle (TKT) since 2011, and he has been a member of the Twente Economic Development Board (Twente Board) since 2014. The Twente Board brings together businesses, research institutes and educational institutions to give direction to the region’s economic development. He is also a member of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Early Stage Funding investment committee.

For queries in connection with this press release, please contact: Claudia Mossel, Marketing and Communications, Novel-T. Tel: +31 (0)6 1424 0268 or email: c.mossel@novelt.com