Karen van Oudenhoven succeeds Kim Putters as director of the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP). The Council of Ministers announced its appointment on Friday approved† Van Oudenhoven, currently dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Free University of Amsterdam, will start her new job on 1 October.
Van Oudenhoven previously worked as dean at the University of Twente and as professor of Organizational Psychology and director of the Institute for Integration and Social Resilience at the University of Groningen. She is also co-founder and chair of the ‘More Color at the Top’ initiative and advises the Rijksmuseum and several departments on diversity policy, among others. Van Oudenhoven calls it a “great privilege” that she has been given the director position.
Also read this interview with departing director and ‘most influential Dutchman’ Kim Putters
The departing Putters, by De Volkskrant Voted several times as ‘most influential Dutch person’, he held the top position at the SCP since 2013. According to the government body, her departure is in line with agreements made about the transition to top positions within the central government. Putters called his work “the most beautiful job” in the Netherlands when he announced his departure.
The SCP conducts research into social science subjects and advises the cabinet on this. During the corona crisis, the planning office often gave advice on, among other things, the well-being of the population and support for corona measures.