Henk Molenaar executive director WOTRO Science for Global Development

9 juli 2007

On 16 July 2007 Henk Molenaar will be appointed the new executive director of WOTRO Science for Global Development. Molenaar (1952) graduated in cultural anthropology from Leiden University, the Netherlands, where he also completed his doctoral research. He then went on to work in various functions and countries for DGIS (the Netherlands Directorate General for International Cooperation) and the Dutch development organisation SNV, including as director of the SNV country programme in Kenya. In 1998 Molenaar was appointed Personnel and Training Manager at SNV and in 2001 Human Resource Management Manager. Molenaar left SNV in 2003 and moved to DGIS where he worked as a policy advisor in the research and communication division. Here he played an important role in the formulation of a new DGIS knowledge and research policy. In 2006 he became acting head of this DGIS division (DCO/OC), where his work included the strengthening of relationships between policy and science. Molenaar brings a significant network with him and is expected to make an important contribution to the implementation of the new WOTRO mission.

Since 1 April 2007, WOTRO and the Social Sciences division have been working closely together within NWO. Renée van Kessel is director of both divisions. The new executive director is responsible for the day to day running of WOTRO.