Judith Arends is the new CBI Managing Director

On 1 August 2022, Judith Arends became the new Managing Director at the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI).

Previously, Judith was a National Programmes Management Team Member at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. In this role, she focused on sustainability transitions in the Netherlands. These included the built environment and mobility. Before that, she worked on foreign economic relations at the United Nations. She has had various positions in private-sector development in developing countries. Judith studied policy and governance in international relations at the University of Groningen. She also studied at the universities of Nantes and Montreal.

Confidence in the future

CBI is pleased to have Judith as the new Managing Director and is confident that she will lead CBI into a new phase. In the next few years, CBI will follow an innovative strategy that fits the challenges of today.

Also, CBI will work with its partners and extensive network of experts to deal with significant economic and social challenges. Challenges like sustainability, changing markets, employment opportunities for women and young people, and climate change.

Judith Arends on her new position

“We must achieve the sustainable development goals together. With this in mind, CBI has recently sharpened its strategy for supporting the transition towards inclusive and sustainable economies. I believe that with my recent professional background on the Dutch climate policy, I can contribute to the impact CBI has on reaching these goals. CBI’s power lies in creating access to European markets from a place of sharing knowledge and networking. I look forward to working with our partners. And above all, I am proud to lead CBI's experienced and motivated team on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.”