Ronald de Bruin appointed next Director of the COST Association

De Bruin brings over 20 years’ international experience in research and innovation, having worked in the public and private sector as well as with public-private partnerships. He played a key role in launching and managing European Union agencies, including as Director of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology and Head of Cooperation and Support Department of the European Network and Information Security Agency.

Previously, De Bruin was the Ambassador of the Greenleaf Centre for Servant-Leadership Europe and founding director of its Brussels office, dedicated to teaching servant-leadership principles.

Prior to this he was Deputy Director of a public-private partnership for the Information Society in the Netherlands. His private sector experience includes global players such as KMPG where he developed, as manager, e-security services for the e-commerce sector.

As Director of the COST Association, De Bruin will be responsible for implementing the COST strategy, working closely with the Executive Board. He will report to the Committee of Senior Officials, the decision-making body of the intergovernmental organisation.

The President of the COST Association, Ángeles Rodríguez-Peña warmly welcomed the choice made by the selection panel, which consisted of Executive Board members and independent external advisers.

"Ronald de Bruin is an excellent choice, given his combined public and private sector experience. He holds strong management and leadership skills, so we are very happy he accepted the challenge. After the successful transition to the COST Association, which we owe to Dietl, the next challenge will be consolidating and positioning the new organisation in an increasingly competitive market for European funding," Rodríguez-Peña added.

"I am looking forward to the challenge and to lead COST beyond Horizon 2020. I can rely on my management experience gained in various European agencies and on my capacity to build solid stakeholder relationships," said De Bruin.

De Bruin holds a Ph.D. in Law & Computer Science, an M.Sc. in Technology Management and a B.Sc. in Electronic Engineering. He has also authored several books on servant-leadership, digital television, online consumer trust and computer security.