The Netherlands has grown into a consultant for the world regarding the management of water.

December 3, 2015

Henk Ovink (Twitter)

Ministers Schultz van Haegen (click here) (Infrastructure and the Environment), Ploumen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) and Kamp (Economic Affairs) have appointed Henk Ovink (47) as the first Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In his capacity as thematic ambassador, the Special Envoy for International Water Affairs reinforces Dutch ambitions in the water domain; he contributes to boosting the international market position of Dutch know-how and expertise.

Mr Ovink is honoured to be the first incumbent of this new position. “Worldwide, water is a connecting issue. With its integrated approach to water shortages, water safety, water quality, logistics and transport, the Netherlands make the difference across the globe. We are leaders in the field, which is welcome, but that also obliges us to continue to invest and innovate, in the Netherlands and abroad. Our Dutch know-how and expertise are unique. I see plenty of opportunities to utilise this knowledge even better at the international level.”...

He is also a Harvard Grad. (click here)

Henk W.J. Ovink is senior advisor to U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan in his role as Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. Ovink is responsible for the long term planning strategy, the regional design competition 'REBUILD BY DESIGN' and the connected planning conference. He works on the Task Force’s legacy process, the regional resilience science center, regional infrastructure coordination and on the overall Task Force Strategy. Before joining the Task Force, Ovink was both Director General Spatial Planning and Water affairs and Director National Spatial Planning for the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment in the Netherlands. Ovink is member of the advisory boards of the The Berlage Institute, the UK School of Design, Delft University of Technology Faculty of Architecture and the Master City Developer Rotterdam. He was curator of the 5th International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam ‘Making City’ and curator of the ANCB Berlin debate series ‘Design&Politics: the next phase’. He lectures and publishes on the change of government, governance and planning as well as on the specific relationship between design and politics.