Dirk de Groot appointed as Managing Director of Finance & Control
Dirk de Groot is the new Managing Director of the Finance & Control Division, effective May 8, 2023. At the moment, De Groot is chief financial officer at the City of Breda. He will succeed Folkert Kootstra, who will be going into well-deserved retirement.
Dirk de Groot (1974) is an alumnus of Tilburg University’s School of Economics. He studies Business Economics with a focus on Strategic Management. Dirk has gained ample experience at the Dutch Ministry of Finance, the City of Rotterdam, and the City of Breda. Since 2018, he has also been affiliated to the Bestuursacademie as a teacher in the field of control, public finance and business operations. He is also an editor of Tijdschrift voor Public Governance, Audit & Control and a member of the supervisory board of Sportbedrijf Rotterdam.
De Groot: “Finance is the art of quantifying. Control is the art of management”
Dirk de Groot: “A complex organization with a social responsibility is a work environment in which I feel at home. All these things are reflected in the organization and the mission of the university. Moreover, the (public) values of Tilburg University have convinced me that the university is also a good fit for me at a personal level. Knowledge and skills will get you far. Character and courage will get you further. These are Tilburg University’s great strengths.”
Carolien Metselaar (interim Managing Director of University Services): “As a university, we are thrilled about Dirk de Groot’s appointment. Dirk de Groot brings vast experience in the field of Finance & Control on strategic and governance levels to his new role and he is capable of further developing Finance & Control in a pro-active and enterprising way. He is a natural connection maker, focused on giving shape to the development task together with his team and with important internal and external stakeholders. In doing so, he expressly wants to invest in the development of people to achieve improvement and progress together. Dirk is result-oriented, enterprising, and energetic. We look forward to a pleasant working relationship and wish him every success.”