Marjan Oudeman, Paulien Herder and Paul de Krom will take office on 14 February 2022 as the programme board for the growth fund programme GroenvermogenNL. With an initial reservation from the national growth fund of M€ 338, GroenvermogenNL will support the switch to a green hydrogen economy and green chemistry. Chairman Marjan Oudeman: “I am embarking on this complex task because I am convinced that we can continue with GroenvermogenNL to accelerate the major social transition of the hydrogen economy.”
With the appointment of the programme board, the investment programme GroenvermogenNL will start. The R&D and human capital programme will be rolled out at the end of the first quarter of this year. In parallel, a first tender for small demonstration projects will be opened in mid-March.
Manon Janssen (former chair Top Sector Energy), who composed the programme board together with fellow chairs from Holland High Tech and ChemistryNL, is pleased with the programme board: “We opt for managerial experience and strong connectors who willing to direct. I am very grateful to all three of them for wanting to tackle this social task for the Netherlands.”
Board with a ‘hands on’ mission
Last spring, the National Growth Fund committee reserved M€ 338 for the GroenvermogenNL programme in the field of hydrogen production and the application of hydrogen and green electrons in energy-intensive industry. The objective of GroenvermogenNL is a strongly nationally and regionally anchored innovation ecosystem for hydrogen production and applications. The programme consists of three main components: scaling up & innovating, converting & building, retraining & training.
When the GroenvermogenNL proposal was submitted at the end of 2020, extensive advice was sent on the intended governance of GroenvermogenNL. This advice was drawn up by quartermasters Dirk Smit (Shell) and Gertjan Lankhorst (VEMW) at the invitation of the top sectors Holland High Tech, Energy and Chemistry, based on discussions with many parties. The core of this advice is a programme board in which the business community, knowledge sector and public administrative experience are represented. This results in a highly motivated board with clear direction, which makes connections between the various components of the programme, is assisted by an international sounding board, and seeks to connect with the government’s innovation policy.
Director-General for Business and Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate (EZK), Focco Vijselaar: “I am very pleased that this experienced board is willing to help shape the sustainability of our energy system and industry. EZK supports the board in its mission to make GroenvermogenNL a success.”
Programme Board
Mr Marjan Oudeman, MBA is a member of the Supervisory Board of various companies at home and abroad, including UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Solvay SA. She also holds various ancillary positions. Before that she was a member of the Executive Committee of the European part of the Tata Steel Group (formerly Corus) and Executive Director of the Strip Division of the steel company, then member of the Executive Committee of AkzoNobel. She is also a former chair of the Executive Board of Utrecht University.
Prof.dr.ir. Paulien Herder is Dean of the Faculty of Technology Natural Sciences and Professor of Energy Systems at the Technical University Delft. She specializes in energy system integration and the de-fossilization of energy and industry through electrochemical conversion, combining engineering sciences with social and behavioral sciences. From 2013-2019 she was director of the Delft Energy Initiative, which employs around 1000 energy researchers on the Delft campus. In addition, she is Captain of Science of the Top Team of the Top Sector Energy, which is responsible for stimulating innovations that are necessary for the transition to an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system in the Netherlands. The Netherlands. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Hotelschool The Hague and a member of the Scientific Sounding Board Committee of the North Sea Consultation.
Drs. Paul de Krom is chairman of the board of directors and CEO of TNO. He combines that with membership of the supervisory board van HTM, vice-chairman of the supervisory board of Hogeschool Utrecht and chairman of the Netherlands Distribution Land. Previously, he was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment and member of the House of Representatives. From 1991 to 2003 he held various HR positions for Shell. As of February 1, 2022, De Krom will take up the position as new chairman of the Royal Dutch Chemical Industry Association (VNCI).
About GroenvermogenNL
The potential of hydrogen and sustainably generated electrons for green chemistry is great. The smartest solutions, effective collaboration and an integrated system approach are essential for this. Well-trained people are desperately needed to make this climate transition possible. That is GroenvermogenNL: scaling up & innovating, converting & rebuilding, retraining & training. More information about GroenvermogenNL can be found on the website: www.groenvermogenNL.org.
Questions about this post?
Jasper Witte, Jerry van den Broeke via e-mail: secretariaat@groenvermogenNL.org.
