Culture Council welcomes arrival of new secretary-director Rien Fraanje

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The Council for Culture is pleased to announce that Dr Rien Fraanje has been appointed secretary-director of the council with effect from 1 August 2025. In this position, he leads the office that supports the council in the fields of art, culture, heritage, media and design; as secretary, he supports the council in its advisory role to government...

Rien Fraanje is currently general director of the Interprovinciaal Overleg (IPO). Before that, he was secretary-director of the Council for Public Administration for many years. Fraanje studied public administration at Leiden University and earlier this year obtained a PhD at Radboud University Nijmegen for a thesis on the handling of religion in parliamentary debate.

Chair of the Council for Culture Kristel Baele: "Rien Fraanje brings a valuable perspective to our council. His affinity with arts and culture, combined with his extensive administrative experience and knowledge of public administration, make him ideally suited for this role. We look forward to working with him and welcome him warmly."

Interim secretary-director Nicole Leijendeckers has agreed to extend her duties by two months, until 1 September, to ensure a proper handover. The council is very grateful to her for her commitment and personal involvement.