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.
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.”
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.