Meet our Supervisory Board
The role of the Supervisory Board is to oversee the management of our organisation. They support and advise our managing director, guided by the vision, mission, strategy and objectives of Rotterdam Partners. As of 1 January 2026, the Supervisory Board consists of eight members who meet four times a year for consultations with the managing director of Rotterdam Partners. The composition of the Board reflects the diversity of the members’ specific expertise. Together, they represent the full scope of Rotterdam Partners’ activities.
Leonard Geluk (Chair) is the Chief Executive of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG), where he is committed to strengthening and future-proofing local government. He brings extensive executive experience, including roles as Chair of the Executive Board of The Hague University of Applied Sciences and of ROC Midden Nederland. From 2004 to 2009, Leonard also served as Alderman for Youth & Education in Rotterdam. With his connecting leadership style, strategic vision and deep-rooted dedication to the public domain, Leonard actively contributes to fostering collaboration and progress both within and beyond the city of Rotterdam.
Boudewijn Siemons is CEO of the Port of Rotterdam. Besides his strong dedication and passion for the port, he brings experience from the maritime sector, infrastructure and energy transition. For example, Boudewijn previously worked at Royal Vopak as President of the Americas division and held various management positions at Royal VolkerWessels. He is a committed connector and therefore holds several board positions, including for VNO-NCW, Maritime Museum Rotterdam, Economic Board Zuid-Holland and Next Generation Infrastructures.
Sabine Biesheuvel is a Rotterdam-based entrepreneur, anthropologist and expert in circular economy. As co-founder and director of BlueCity, she transformed the former Tropicana swimming complex into a leading circular hub where innovative entrepreneurs work on a future without waste. She also holds supervisory and advisory roles, including at Buurvrouw Impact B.V., Springtij, the Circular Economy Taskforce of the Economic Board Zuid-Holland and the societal sounding board group of Erasmus University. Since 2020, she has served as Climate Accelerator for the municipality of Rotterdam.
Emmelien Matthijsse is director and board member of Theater Zuidplein. With her entrepreneurial and curious mindset, she enjoys developing new initiatives. She is very involved and active in the development of Rotterdam. In previous positions, she worked at the municipality of Rotterdam as Interim Director of Culture, Department Head of Service Centre Communications and manager of the Interim Management Office. She also has extensive board experience in the arts and culture sector.
Marco Florijn served as Alderman for the Labour Party (PvdA) in Leeuwarden (2006–2011) and Rotterdam (2011–2014), responsible for areas such as healthcare, social affairs, labour market policy, tourism, sports and finance. In 2009, he was recognised as the best local administrator in the Netherlands. Marco later became Chair of the national association for Debt Assistance and Social Banking, where he championed innovation in debt services. He currently leads a financing programme for scaling social enterprises and recently authored the book Supervising in the Age of AI. He also serves as Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ouder- en Kindteams Amsterdam.
Souad el Hamdaoui is the Group Director of Development at Magnicity, which includes Euromast and CELEST. Over the past years, Souad has made a significant contribution to enhancing the appeal of the leisure market in Rotterdam. As Chair of the Supervisory Board of Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam Zoo) and a member of the Supervisory Board of Conny Janssen Danst, she contributes to various initiatives impacting the city. Additionally, she is a member of the Supervisory Board of Hadoks, which focuses on sustainable primary healthcare.
Gijs van Lookeren Campagne is Co-CEO of Ease2pay N.V., the self-service app for parking, shore power, charging and other mobility services. As co-founder of Greenwheels, he played a key role in shaping sustainable shared mobility in the Netherlands. His broad entrepreneurial and governance experience in technology and mobility aligns seamlessly with Rotterdam’s innovative ambitions. Since April 2024, he has served as Chair of the Erasmus Trust Fund, which supports scientific research and young talent. In addition, he is secretary/treasurer of several foundations affiliated with the Rotterdam Foundation for the Promotion of Social Strength (Stichting Bevordering van Volkskracht).
Wilma Franchimon is a connecting, creative, and strategic leader with broad experience in both the public and private sectors. As former Chair of the Executive Board of Codarts Rotterdam and initiator of the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab, she is committed to innovation at the intersection of education, culture, and society. She holds various board and supervisory roles, including at VNO-NCW Rijnmond, Accelerating Circular Economy Zuid‑Holland (ACCEZ), Platform ACCT (Cultural and Creative Work Future Platform) and Theater Walhalla Foundation.
