| Resume | Judith Sargentini M.A. | |
| CEO in the not-for-profit sector. I am tenacious and focused on long-term results, I naturally take lead and quickly master complex problems. Trust is key,and I let other take credit as results are more important than exposure. I’m not embarrassed to be prompted and not shy to ask you to “explain that to me again.” I am decisive, open-hearted, agenda-setting, analytical, strategic, loyal and honest. I perform well under pressure, have stamina, a clear style of communication and a fresh presentation. I am a result-oriented and patient negotiator with a large network in public administration and civil society in the Netherlands and Europe. | ||
| Fields of expertise | European decision making, public policy, humanitarian assistance, responsible business, development cooperation, trade relations, foreign policy and Africa, Rule of Law, democracy building, Human Rights and Fundamental Rights, asylum and migration law, anti-discrimination, judicial cooperation, anti-money laundering, privacy and digital freedom. | |
| Job experience | ||
| Médecins Sans Frontières, Director for The Netherlands Dec 2020 – June 2023 | Direct responsible for 60 employees in 4 teams. Fundraising 80 million Euro a year from private donors. Communication, advocacy, human resources, recruitment, facility services. Host of the ‘operational centre Amsterdam’, employer of 400 staff on NL contract, Works Council, Governance. | |
| Member of European Parliament Brussels – Strasbourg (Two electoral terms: July 2009-July 2019) | Member of European Parliament for the Dutch Green Party ‘GroenLinks’ in the Greens/EFA grouping. Vice-chair and coordinator for the committee on civil liberties and leader of a team of 10 MEPs and 30 advisors, providing political guidance, coaching colleagues and advisors, and maintaining relationships with other factions. – Rapporteur for the Rule of Law report on Hungary. 2/3 of the EP voted in favour to start the ‘article 7’ procedure. – negotiator for the legislation against trade in conflict minerals resulting in a EU wide due diligence legislation based on OECD guidelines. – Rapporteur for the 4th and 5th anti money laundering directive resulting in Europe wide public registers on UBOs exposing shell compagnies. – Member of the EP negotiaton team for the nomination of the first European Public Prosecutor. – Involved in all files on asylum and migration law, digital rights, privacy and judicial cooperation. – shadow rapporteur on the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI). – member in charge of capacity building for the new elected Myanmar Parliament (put on hold after proof of ethnic cleansing). – Member of committees on Development, Trade, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Human Rights, investigating Terrorism. – Member of various inter parliamentary delegations: Vice-chair of the South-Africa delegation, Pan African Parliament, parliamentary assembly to the ACP. | |
| Further experience as MEP | ||
| – delegation leader, lead candidate for the European elections, 2009 | Lead candidate for the 2009 European elections campaign for GroenLinks.The faction grew from 2 to 3 members. As delegation leader I employed a 12 staff bureau, being responsible for finance, management and HR. Jointly responsible for the course, organisation and finances of the party at large. | |
| – Election observation | Chief Observer of the European mission to the elections in Mozambique (2014) and Tanzania (2015), leading teams of approx. 100 observers, go-between for Europeand diplomats and local authorities. Parliamentary observer in Armenia (OCSE-ODIHR, 2012) en Myanmar (EU, 2015). | |
| – Participation in international summits | A/O OECD forum on responsible mineral supply chains, Paris (2014), WTO, UN Human Rights Council (on RBC), OCSE, Council of Europe, Global compact in Migration, Marrakesh (November 2018); EU-AU summit Abidjan (2017); EU-Egypt taskforce of high commissioner Cathrine Ashton, Cairo (2012). | |
| – Work visits in Europe, Africa and Middle East | In light of justice, home affairs, security, refugees, development cooperation, conflict minerals, democratisation, human rights and the ‘Arab Spring’ I travelled extensively in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. | |
| Faction leader, Member of the city council of Amsterdam / faction leader October 1999 – June 2009 | Faction leader of 7 in the Amsterdam city council, spokesperson, employer of 5, responsible for the political orientation, coaching of councillors, negotiating and upholding the coalition, maintaining relations with other factions, providing strategic leadership to Greens in district councils and talent scouting. Fields of expertise: labour market and social security, education, youth policies, migration and integration, urban affairs, culture, public order and security. | |
| Advisor development cooperation Brussels, Nov 2007-June 2009 | Parttime advisor for Eurostep, a cooperation of progressive development NGOs in the EU investigating posibilities for a renewed partnership amongs NGOs. | |
| Lobbyist for development NGO Amsterdam, Nov 2003-Aug 2007 | Political lobbying at Dutch, European and international level on development cooperation, Human Rights, trade relations, democratisation, good governance, press freedom at the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA, now ActionAid Netherlands). Brought an OECD complaint to the Dutch NCP on coltan trade by Chemie Pharmacie Holland. | |
| International coordinator at development NGO NiZA Amsterdam, March 2000- March 2001 | The EU-funded public support campaign‘European Network for Information and Action in Southern Africa’, a cooperation of former anti-Apartheid organisations. Responsibilities: EU-funding applications, financial administration, secretary of the network. | |
| Project officer The Hague Jan-Feb 2000 | At Foundation Europa Centrum to manage the European Commission’s information campaign ‘European Young ConsumerCompetition 2000′ and editor of the yearly brochure ‘Jij en Europa’. | |
| Communication advisor ‘student chip card’. Rotterdam and Woerden, Sept 1996-June 1997 | ‘Foundation Studentenchipkaart’ was set up by commercial and public parties, banks, the railways and the public administrator for higher education and student loans, organising a one stop shop for students. Responsibilities: comunication strategies targeted at students, chief editor of the magazine. | |
| Member of the executive of the National Student Union Utrecht, July 1995-June 1996 | Dutch National Union of Students ‘Landelijke Studenten Vakbond’. Responsibilities: international cooperation, student loans, public transport, emancipation and empowerment, youth policies, external relations and management of the bureau. | |
| Student jobs, 1992-1999 | Minuting and reporting conferences, secretary work, home care services for the elderly, catering at mass events. | |
| Additional activities | ||
| UNHCR Niger, Niamey, Oct-Dec 2019 | Volunteer, assisted in psycho-social support and communications for the refugees evacuated from Libyan detention. | |
| NIOD-fund, 2020 -2023 | Member of the board. The fund aims to support young researchers of NIOD, institute for war- holocaust and genocide studies and bing the results to a wider audience. | |
| ASVK refugee support, since Sept 2019. | Chair of the Supervisory Board. ASKV, supports undocumented migrants and provides shelter and theraphy for refugees with trauma. | |
| Dutch Resistance Museum 2011-2018 | Member of the Board of the Dutch Resistance Museum, Amsterdam. 100.000 visitors yearly. https://www.verzetsmuseum.org/museum/en/museum | |
| Debate moderator / presenter / event host | Long experience both in Dutch and English for the wider not for profit sector. | |
| Dutch membership body for organisations working in international development Partos / Concord 2001 – 2007 | Member of the committee on European Union development policies of Partos, the Dutch membership body for organisations working in international development. Delegate to Concord, the European membership body for organisations working in international development. www.partos.nl | |
| ESIB, European Union of Students. 1998 | Member of the executive of ESIB, the European federation of National Unions of Students (now ESU). Fields of expertise: quality of education; support for NSU’s in the Balkans; student participation in decision-making; relations with European Union institutions, Council of Europe, Unesco etc. | |
| ‘All Different – All Equal’ Anti-racism campaign, Nov 1994-March 1995 | Organisor of the Dutch launch of the Council of Europe campaign against racism ‘All Different – All Equal’ voor ‘Nederland Bekent Kleur’. | |
| Youth politics 1990-2000 | Various functions at the youth league of the Dutch Green Party ‘Dwars-groenlinkse jongerenorganisatie’: (school-)students protests; supporting in election campaigns; publishing magazines etc. | |
| Language skills | Reading Writing Speaking | |
| Dutch (mother tongue) English German French | excellent excellent excellent excellent excellent excellent good sufficient good good sufficient sufficient | |
| Education and courses | ||
| Masters degree in History, 1992-1999 | Master of Arts in modern history, at the University of Amsterdam, specialising in totalitarian systems and the democratisation of Europe. (including a year leave for position at student union). | |
| Secundary education ‘Gymnasium’, 1986-1992 | Spinoza Lyceum, Amsterdam. Gymnasium, secundary education with Latin and a focus on economy, history and languages. | |
| Governance course, May-June 2020 | Wagner post graduate education, governance for directors and supervisory boards. | |
| International Public Law, autumn 2019 | Bachelor course at the Law faculity of the Univeristy of Amsterdam | |
| Public speaking | Various courses and fresh up rounds since 2000. | |
| Awards | ‘Prinsjesprijs 2019’ a Dutch national prize for outstanding support for vitality of parliamentary democracy. | |
| ‘Fair Politician of the Year 2013’, leading MEP on policy coherence for development, Max van der Stoel Foundation. | ||
| ‘Most Sexy European Candidate 2009’ for best policy on SRHR, by Rutgers WPF. | ||
| Selected writings (more examples, including in Dutch, available on request) | ||
| – Hungary’s systematic threat to the EU core values, Clingendael’s Spectator, March 2019, https://spectator.clingendael.org/nl/publicatie/hungarys-systematic-threat-eu-core-values | ||
| – New anti-money laundering rules prove the power of public scrutiny, The Parliament Magazine, June 2018, https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/articles/opinion/new-anti-money-laundering-rules-prove-power-public-scrutiny | ||
| – ‘Development for Policy Coherence? How migration took over EU Africa relations’, website ECDPM, december 2016. http://ecdpm.org/talking-points/development-policy-coherence-migration-took-eu-africa-relations/ | ||
| – ‘Warding off the curse of Raw Materials’, Green European Journal, december 2015, https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/warding-off-the-curse-of-raw-materials/ | ||
| Others about me(selected reading, Dutch examples available on request) | ||
| – ‘Dans les pas d’une eurodéputée: à Bruxelles avec Judith Sargentini, ou l’Europe à grande vitesse’, Le Monde, April 2019. https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2019/04/15/dans-les-pas-d-une-eurodeputee-a-bruxelles-avec-judith-sargentini-ou-l-europe-a-grande-vitesse_5450374_3210.html | ||
| – ’40 MEPs who mattered in 2014-2019, nr 4 Sargentini’, Politico, April 2019. https://www.politico.eu/list/the-40-meps-who-mattered-in-2014-2019/judith-sargentini/ | ||
| – European Parliament votes to punish Hungary for erosion of democracy, CNN, September 12, 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/12/europe/hungary-orban-eu-vote-intl/index.html | ||
| -‘MEPs to vote on measures to tackle money-laundering’, Politco, May2, 2014, https://www.politico.eu/article/meps-to-vote-on-measures-to-tackle-money-laundering/ | ||
| – ‘Why Europe’s ‘opt in’ rules on conflict minerals could fail to spark change’. The Guardian, March 13 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/european-commission-conflict-minerals-failure | ||
| – ‘Judith Sargentini EU Fair Politician of the Year 2013’ by the Max van der Stoel Foundation. https://www.foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl/nieuws/nieuws_item/t/judith_sargentini_eu_fair_politician_of_the_year_2013 | ||
| Hobbies | Long distance walking, swimming, running, museums, historic roadtrips in central Europe, second-hand bookstores, North Sea Jazz Festival. | |
| References | Available upon request | |
Judith Sargentini
