Roelof Bleker
As a board member, Roelof Bleker represents the government within the Twente Board. He recognizes the added value of cooperation among various stakeholders in Twente, coupled with a strong network in The Hague. “We are working together to build a strong, green, technological top region. Twente matters, not only for its own residents but also at a national level and perhaps even beyond. There are many good things happening here in terms of innovative technologies.”
He views innovation in healthcare as one of the most significant challenges for the future. For this, he believes collaboration between healthcare and scientific research is essential. “Additionally, the declining working population is becoming a problem. To address this, we should work across borders. We are already doing this in some areas, but I believe we should increasingly eliminate the boundary with Germany and combine our strengths. The Twente Board can certainly play a role in this. Other pressing issues include talent, housing, and the widening gap between rich and poor.”
Gross Twente Happiness
“We are already familiar with the concept of broad prosperity. Ultimately, all our efforts are for the residents of Twente. The Twente Board primarily focuses on Gross Twente Happiness—the happiness of us all collectively. But from a government perspective, we also hope to have some influence on net happiness; the individual happiness of our residents.”
Additional Roles | Roelof Bleker
- Chair, Socio-Economic Structural Strengthening Twente Steering Group
- Chair, General and Executive Board of the Twente Safety Region
- Chair, Presidium Twente Council
- Member, Lobby Consultation Overijssel Province / Twente Region
- Member, Executive Board of Twente Board
- Member, Executive Board of Euregio
- Member, MONT (Münster, Osnabrück, and the Network City Twente)
- Chair, Network City Twente
- Chair, General and Executive Board of the District Security Council (DVO) Twente
- Chair, Steering Committee of the Safety Network East Netherlands
- Vice Chair, Executive Board East Netherlands Police
- Member, Regional Security Council Police
- Member, Hague Security Delta
- Member, National Commissioners Meeting
- Member of the Network Mayors for Peace
- Member, Knowledge Hub Twente Government Consultation
- Non-Governmental Paid Role: Member of the Supervisory Board of Housing Corporation Portaal
LinkedIn Roelof Bleker