Anka Mulder to say farewell to Saxion
President of the Board, Anka Mulder is going to be leaving Saxion in April 2025, after more than seven years at the helm: “In the coming year, I’ll be saying farewell to an applied university and surroundings that will stay in my heart forever”. She will be appointed as Vice-President of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) on 1 May 2025.
Karl Dittrich, Chair of the Supervisory Board (RvT): “Once again a departure with mixed feelings. A wonderful new challenge for Anka and a severe loss for Saxion. We all realise just how much Anka has meant to Saxion. We are also well aware of all her efforts and achievements for the region, along with her importance to applied university education on a national and international level. Saxion has considerably strengthened its position during her presidency and has attracted national and international attention. Our respect and our gratitude are therefore very profound!”
Leaving Saxion with peace of mind
Anka will miss Saxion: “Saxion has a place in my heart and I will miss our students, colleagues and partners. And there is also the very robust applied university, with its wonderful study programmes, strong research and support for new entrepreneurs, that is extremely important for the Eastern Netherlands. So I can leave Saxion with complete peace of mind.”
Anka has strategy, research, valorisation and external relations in her portfolio and Twente and Apeldoorn as focus areas. She has been President of the Executive Board (CvB) since 1 January 2018 and her second term would have finished at the end of 2025. “This means that you once again become open to new challenges. I was instantly enthusiastic about the position at the Research Council. I’m looking forward to being able to contribute to science and innovation in the Netherlands again as vice-president.”
Successor
The announced departure of Anka to the Research Council means there will be another vacancy in the Executive Board. Timo Kos had previously announced his departure from Saxion. The Supervisory Board has already started the procedure for recruiting a successor to Anka in consultation with the Executive Board and Saxion University Council.