Michiel de Wilde is new Executive Director of Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy
The job of tackling social problems is falling increasingly on the shoulders of the philanthropic sector. A new executive director at the Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (ECSP) plans to support the professionalism of the role. Michiel de Wilde has been appointed Executive Director of the research centre, which initiates and combines applied scientific research, develops learning programmes and management instruments and offers a platform for knowledge sharing, with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the European philanthropic sector.
Michiel de Wilde said: “The international philanthropic sector plays an increasing role in tackling different social problems and is developing fast. In addition to giving, there is, for example, growth in socially responsible loans and investments. I look forward to lending support to the professionalisation of the sector. ECSP is well-positioned for this task, thanks to being embedded within Erasmus University Rotterdam.”
Professor Philip Hans Franses, Dean of Erasmus School of Economics and member of the Supervisory Board of ECSP, added: “We are very pleased that Michiel de Wilde has agreed to apply his broad experience to further developing ECSP into a leading European institute in a socially growing and relevant area, with the major European philanthropic foundations as an appealing and challenging target group.”
Until recently, De Wilde was interim Executive Director of IUCN NL, the Dutch branch of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, within which scientists, governments and the private sector collaborate to develop practical solutions to global conservation and development challenges.
De Wilde has also worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and as an entrepreneur, after which he focused on the areas of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and international development. He was Managing Director of the PharmAccess Foundation, with the objective of improving health care for low-income groups in Africa, member of the Board of the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute and Managing Director of Aidenvironment, a consultancy for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. De Wilde has been on the board of various non-governmental organisations, including the RAIN Foundation, the Adessium Foundation, the Ecological Management Foundation and Goede Waar & Co. In 2012 he was Chairman of Springtij, the annual national sustainability festival on the Dutch island of Terschelling. Since 2003 he has been associated with BoerCroon Young Executives as an external coach.
About ESCP
The Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (ECSP) was established jointly by the Erasmus School of Economics, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) and Adessium Foundation. Members of academic staff from the two schools are available for research and other activities. ECSP aims to contribute to the performance and effectiveness of the philanthropic sector as a whole, and in particular to the performance and effectiveness of endowed foundations in Europe. www.ecsp.nl.
