Geert Dewulf appointed as the University of Twente's Chief Development Officer

Professor Geert Dewulf is appointed by the Executive Board as Chief Development Officer and Director of Strategic Business Development. His 4-year term starts on 1 November 2019.

Since autumn last year, Geert Dewulf already fulfilled the position of Director of Strategic Business Development on an interim basis. During this period, Geert worked together with the faculties and research institutes of the UT on further developing and strengthening SBD.
The position of Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a governing role. The CDO is a member of the Strategic Board.  

New strategic partnerships

SBD has a key role in strengthening the position of the UT as entrepreneurial university and in increasing the economic and social impact of the UT, by connecting UT research in an effective and distinctive way with society and the market. But also by structurally increasing the income from second and third money flows.

For the coming years, the focus for SBD is primarily on realizing new strategic corporate partnerships, on further developing existing partnerships with industry and on strengthening the regional ecosystem. When needed, SBD coordinates strategic programmes and supports the faculties and research institutes in the execution of these programmes. The further development of SBD 2.0 contains a substantial expansion of the SBD team, including the appointment of CDO. In the coming year, Dewulf will work on an implementation plan together with the SBD team.

Geert Dewulf will fulfill this new role alongside his position of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET), until 1 April 2020 at the latest, or so much earlier as a new Dean for ET faculty has been appointed.

The Appointment Advisory Committee was unanimous in its support for the appointment of Dewulf as CDO. Geert Dewulf knows the university in all its facets and has a large network in academia, governmental and non-govermental organizations. He is able to create trust. As interim director SBD, he has proven his effectiveness for the UT. Because of all this, Geert is able to open doors and make SBD 2.0 a success, states the Committee.

Geert Dewulf has this to say about his appointment: “It is an honor to be able to fulfill this new position for the UT. The UT has the ambition to generate a greater impact on society. Connecting with the outside world is part of our DNA. Our base ground is so strong we are able to further develop and to create optimum value for our employees and external stakeholders. The SBD team is ready to work on this together with and for all stakeholders. I'm really looking forward to it. I look back with great pleasure on my period as dean of a fantastic faculty, for which I will proudly pass the baton to my successor.”

Victor van der Chijs, President of the Executive Board, welcomes Dewulf’s appointment: “Geert has the personality we need for in this position. He is able to take others along and generate energy. We have high expectations of his commitment to better align the university with the strategic R&D agenda of industry, to achieve more presence in Brussels and The Hague and to develop strong new partnerships together with our faculties and research institutes."

This article was first published 21 October 2019 by University of Twente.