Member of Parliament Jeroen van Wijngaarden will become the new general director of DUFAS. He will succeed Iris van de Looij from November 1, who earlier this year expressed her wish to return to a position in the sector itself. Jeroen will therefore take his leave from the Lower House on Oct. 27 before starting this new role.
Jeroen van Wijngaarden brings with him a great deal of knowledge and experience
Jeroen is a lawyer and spent about seven and a half years in the Lower House on behalf of the VVD in the justice, migration and defense portfolios. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Questioning Committee on Childcare Allowance in 2020. Previously, Jeroen worked at biotech company Sanofi Genzyme and as public affairs manager for the Board of Directors of accounting firm PwC. With his background in complex dossiers, Jeroen has gained extensive experience in the relationship between politics and business. Currently, as spokesman for European affairs in the Lower House of Parliament, he is also a link between Hague and European politics.
"The knowledge and skills of asset managers are indispensable. Not only to provide the 74% of Dutch households that invest with a good return, but also to help make the pension transition a success and, where possible, to contribute to a better world. As a board, we believe that Jeroen van Wijngaarden is the right person to represent us as a sector in this respect and to continue the conversation with all parties DUFAS works with," says Ronald Wuijster, chairman of DUFAS and CEO of APG Asset Management.
Netherlands investment champion
The managing director of DUFAS represents the asset managers active in the market in the Netherlands and abroad. With 74% of Dutch households investing and thus operating in the capital market through an asset manager, the Netherlands is a major player. Not only in the international context with low costs for investing households but also with a position as a leader in the field of sustainability. There is no other country in the EU with as many residents investing as the Netherlands. With a total of about 1,500 billion euros accumulated from all the pension pots of the Dutch together, it can be said that asset management has social impact. This also requires the sector to continue to discuss the effectiveness, feasibility and implementation costs of national and European policies.
"The Netherlands can be proud of the fact that nowhere in Europe do so many households invest as in the Netherlands, that almost nowhere in the world are the costs of investing so low, and that asset managers here are not only trying to contribute to better returns, but also to a better world. We should be careful about that. Three out of four households build wealth by investing through asset managers. In this way, people want to build up something for their old age or for their children's studies. DUFAS's commitment to effective and efficient regulation helps them do this. I look forward to contributing to this," said Jeroen van Wijngaarden.
Thank you to outgoing director, Iris van de Looij
The DUFAS board expresses its deep gratitude to Iris van de Looij, who has represented the industry with energy and flair over the past five years. She has strengthened relationships with stakeholders and managed to modernize the team and image of the association. Under her leadership, DUFAS has also become a strong knowledge partner in the field of SRI. In addition, her departure does not mean that the sector will hear nothing more from her. "Van de Looij has indicated that she will start a new position with one of DUFAS' members, where the investment content and commercial environment will be more emphatic again. We are happy to retain her for the sector," says Ronald Wuijster, president of DUFAS.
