SNV Balkans has a new Regional Director with effect from January. Pieter de Baan will replace Courtney Bickert who served in this position since April 2007.

‘Pieter is taking up his post at an exciting and challenging time for SNV Balkans,’ said Ms Bickert. ‘I’m sure his combination of strategic experience and operational skills will be invaluable for ensuring the continuation of SNV’s important work in sustainable development in the region.’

Announcing the appointment, SNV Director Annemiek Jenniskens said, ‘We are confident that Pieter will guide SNV Balkans with great care and confidence in these challenging times.”

Pieter has been with SNV since 2003, most recently working in the strategy team at the Head Office in the Hague as Senior Advisor in Strategy and Policy. Before that he was Country Director in both Cameroon/ DRC and Vietnam from 2003 to 2008.

Prior to SNV Pieter worked for ARCADIS Euroconsult in Cairo (Social Fund for Development) and Jakarta (Regional Coordinator South-East & East Asia).

‘I consider myself very lucky to find myself here’, Mr De Baan says. ‘SNV Balkans has already a sound regional strategy which is a good base towards ever increasing maturity of SNV’s programming in the region.’