AMSTERDAM (2 July 2018) — Loes Driessen, Portfolio Manager for Amvest, has been appointed as the next Chair of ULI Netherlands. Driessen will officially begin her term on 1 July 2018 and will serve on a voluntary basis for the next two years.

Under Driessen’s leadership, a key priority of ULI Netherlands will be a further commitment to mission-driven, high-quality programming. “ULI Netherlands already has an impressive track record of providing our members with events and programmes that challenge, inspire, and offer new insights,” said Driessen. “As Chair, I plan to further develop this. I believe that member-to-member knowledge sharing on topics such as density, social inclusion, sustainability, and circularity will contribute to creating and sustaining thriving communities in The Netherlands.”

Driessen plans to create even more opportunities for members of ULI Netherlands to get involved, with goals to further strengthen the council’s Young Leaders Group and establish a new product council dedicated to circularity. Driessen also plans to focus on programmes such as the UrbanPlan educational initiative. UrbanPlan is an interactive, classroom based programme that teaches high school students about the role real estate plays in reviving and regenerating urban areas.

“Loes has a keen understanding of the topics and themes our Dutch members care about and the challenges they want to tackle,” said ULI Europe CEO Lisette van Doorn.  “This combined with her experience in the real estate industry and her commitment to ULI’s mission makes her the perfect choice to lead ULI Netherlands.”

Driessen succeeds Bob van der Zande, who in three years grew the council’s membership to nearly 200 members and increased corporate membership to include some of the most well-regarded companies in Dutch real estate.

Driessen brings her own experience with ULI to this role. She has served on the ULI Netherlands Executive Committee since 2015 and has been a member of the ULI Europe Sustainability Council for over two years.

Prior to working for Amvest, Driessen was Head of Asset Management at CBRE Global Investors. She holds a Master of Science in Construction Management and Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology, as well as a Master of Studies in Real Estate from Amsterdam School of Real Estate, and is RICS-certified.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has over 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. ULI has almost 3,500 members in Europe across 14 National Council country networks. For more information, please visit europe.uli.org, follow us on Twitter, or follow our LinkedIn page.