The Supervisory Board of HZ University of Applied Sciences (HZ) and the Chair of the Executive Board, Barbara Oomen, have, in close consultation, decided that Barbara Oomen will hand over her position as Chair to a successor as of 1 June 2025.
Like other institutions of higher education, HZ faces many changes in the coming years, which call for a specific, change-oriented style of leadership with a strong focus on internal organisation.
Barbara Oomen: “At HZ, our HR policy centres around the strengths and talents of our staff: What are you good at? What gives you energy, and what drains it? I have asked myself those same questions. The Chair of our wonderful university of applied sciences must lead an inevitable and complex process of internal organisational change in the years ahead. My strengths lie elsewhere — in research and educational innovation, and in building partnerships. That’s why I’ve decided to pass on the baton.”
The Supervisory Board is grateful to Barbara for her contributions as Chair. Chair of the Supervisory Board, Susana Menendez: “Over the past few years, Barbara has served HZ with great dedication and enthusiasm. She has made an important contribution to the growth and innovative strength of our organisation. She has firmly established HZ as a knowledge institution at the regional, national, and international level, and has secured significant additional funding. Thanks in part to Barbara Oomen, HZ has become a dynamic and future-proof organisation, ready for the next phase in its development.” The Supervisory Board is therefore pleased that Barbara Oomen is willing to continue contributing her expertise for another six months, focusing on research into closer cooperation between the knowledge institutions in Zeeland.
The Supervisory Board intends to appoint a new Chair as soon as possible, so that the process can run in parallel with the recruitment of a new member of the Executive Board.
