Leadership Transition at Maastricht School of Management
Following the recent retirement of Mr. Meinhard Gans on 9 May 2025, Maastricht School of Management (MSM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Diederik de Boer as Director ad interim.
Dr. de Boer, a professor in sustainable business development (UHD) and a long-standing member of the MSM community, brings deep institutional knowledge and extensive international experience to this role. He joined MSM in 1996 and has played a pivotal role in shaping the institution’s programmes and strategic initiatives across education, research, and international development.
Over the years, Dr. de Boer has led more than 100 global programmes focused on capacity building, research, training, and education, particularly in emerging economies. He has contributed significantly to MSM’s international development efforts and is known for his expertise in Private Sector Development.
In 2005, he co-founded the Expert Centre on Sustainable Business and Development Cooperation—a collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, Rotterdam School of Management, Wageningen University, and Nyenrode Business University. Since 2009, he has directed the Sustainable Development Centre, which was renamed the Expert Centre on Emerging Economies in 2018. In this capacity, he also oversees MSM’s successful Executive PhD programme on private sector development.
Beyond MSM, Dr. de Boer plays an active role in national and international education and policy circles. He currently serves as Executive Secretary of international educational institutions in the Netherlands and chairs the International Knowledge Agenda, working with key partners such as UNL, VNO-NCW, the Netherlands Association of VET colleges (MBO Raad) and the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen).
Before joining MSM, Dr. de Boer spent a decade with various United Nations bodies and the Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation, working in Bolivia, Cambodia, Mongolia, Korea, and Palestine.
His academic research focuses on cluster competitiveness for private sector development in emerging economies across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Dr. de Boer holds a PhD from Erasmus University, an MPA from Leiden/Rotterdam University, an MBA from Bradford/Tilburg University, and a minor in Small and Micro Credit Schemes from Harvard University.
Reflecting on his appointment, Dr. de Boer shared:
“I am honoured to take on this role and to continue contributing to MSM’s mission. MSM has a strong legacy in global business education and management development, and I look forward to building on this foundation together with our dedicated management team, staff, and global partners.”
We thank Mr. Meinhard Gans for his outstanding leadership and contributions to MSM and wish him all the best in his retirement. At the same time, we extend our full support to Dr. de Boer as he leads MSM into its next chapter.
