Meet the new director of Kennisland: Marieke van Doorninck
We are proud to present Marieke van Doorninck. From 1 February, she will succeed Nora van der Linden as director of Kennisland. Her ambition is to increase the impact of Kennisland by spreading our successful approaches and lessons more widely and connecting the fields in which we operate. Local approaches to social problems can inspire solutions elsewhere and in other contexts, contributing to an open, learning, inclusive and sustainable society. She will also contribute to the increasingly intensive partnership between Kennisland, CAOP and Sardes. We look forward to a great new phase for KL.
Meet our new director: Marieke van Doorninck
Maker: Roos Trommelen
Rights: All rights reserved
Marieke’s++Get to know herCheck out her LinkedIn profile and connect with her. ambition is to work on long-term visions in combination with specific, practical interventions that show how things can be done differently. As chair of the Urban Development and Sustainability committee at the municipality of Amsterdam, she worked on an impressive agenda for change++Agenda for changeObjectives: To keep the city accessible and affordable and ensure that the transition to sustainable energy and a climate-neutral city goes hand in hand with achieving climate justice and giving residents of Amsterdam a greater say in the decision-making process.. While this delivered many great results++ExamplesShe worked with Alex Brenninkmeijer to organise the first citizens’ assembly on the climate and launched the ‘15% less gas’ action plan with six organisations (winner of the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award) immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine., she also saw how the system world in which authorities operate is often at odds with the living environment of the citizens they serve, despite the best intentions. This in turn provokes resistance to much-needed change. What impressed her so much about Kennisland is that we support social movements from the ground up by creating space and giving people a stake in their own living environment, work and future.
“We need a positive and inspiring perspective, a common story about what a socially just and sustainable society can and should be. That story won’t be written by the government or academia. It will be created by people working together to change their own living environment, workplace or school. For me, Kennisland is ideally placed to bring this important story to life.”
Marieke has worked“Changing by doing is the common thread in my political and social career, with social and ecological justice as the driving force.” in various roles and has used the results of local projects and experiences to influence (international) policy making. As a public affairs consultant at the La Strada International NGO, she trained local aid workers in international human rights law and the legal position of victims. This also meant they could report on the implementation and impact of human trafficking policy. As general co-ordinator at ASKV Refugee Support, she transformed the experiences of refugees into policy recommendations. She led the organisation through major changes and helped it to professionalise.
“Changing by doing is the common thread in my political and social career, with social and ecological justice as the driving force.”
Just as KL, Marieke is driven by values and has a wealth of experience in human rights, sustainability and the circular economy.Just as KL, Marieke is driven by values and has a wealth of experience in human rights, sustainability and the circular economy. She has a large network of potential partners in and around the public sector. Thanks to her extensive experience, she is accustomed to working with sensitive topics in society, as well as in complex contexts with diverging and often conflicting interests. She is not afraid to swim against the current if this is necessary to make change happen, which makes her an ideal match for Kennisland.
We are convinced that she is the perfect ambassador for our philosophy. We can’t wait to work with her on an open, learning, inclusive and sustainable society.
As director of Kennisland, Marieke is also part of the Stichting CAOP (‘CAOP Foundation’) management team. Her role includes positioning KL within the CAOP, identifying opportunities for synergy and protecting our authenticity within the greater whole. Read more about Stichting CAOP here.
