As of 16 August, the Expat Centre Leiden has employed a new manager, Corine van der Ceelen. Van der Ceelen, herself an expat in Malaysia and India for the past seven years, is familiar with the expat world and has a background in Human Resource Management. The expat manager will operate and organise the redesigned Expat Centre Leiden on a regional scale, in order to establish a reputation as an international knowledge region. The expats, the organisations concerned and future international companies are key players in this process.
International experience
Van der Ceelen has worked abroad for both Dutch and international companies. “I believe that, based on my knowledge and experience, I will know what to expect here in Leiden. In addition, I can draw on my own experience as an expat, and I know like no other -on all fronts- what it entails. I am looking forward to getting started and putting my experience to use for the Leiden region”, according to Van der Ceelen. Economie071, the initiator of the regional Expat Centre, are also looking forward to the arrival of Van der Ceelen. Wendelien Tönjann, alderman of Oegstgeest: “With Corine, we believe that we will be able to take the Expat Centre to the next level, and professionalize our services. A good expat climate will generate opportunities for the entire region, and so the role of a good expat manager is crucial.”
Services in four steps
Foreign knowledge workers can contact the regional Expat Centre for questions, a municipal registration, a referral to a school or association, or for social networks. For companies and municipalities, it is a place where they can be informed of the latest trends and developments. The Expat Centre offers services in four steps: ‘Coming to, Settling in, Living in and Leaving to.’ Every phase -from orientation to departure- offers opportunities.
The regional Expat Centre was initiated by Economie071, a cooperation between entrepreneurs, authorities, educational institutions and knowledge institutes that carry out projects to promote the regional economy. The Expat Centre is located at the Leiden Marketing VVV brand store at Stationsweg 26 in Leiden.