Ms Kristel Baele

She has been vice-chair and CFO at HAN University of Applied Sciences  since 2008. Ms Baele is responsible for research, master's programmes, knowledge valorisation, internationalisation, finances and HRM.

Born in Belgium (1959), Kristel Baele graduated with a bachelor's degree in political and social sciences from Ghent University (1979 - with distinction) and a master's degree in organisational sociology from the University of Antwerp (1981). Later in her career, she completed the Executive Management Programme at IMD (Lausanne). 

Kristel Baele began her career in Belgium as a manager in the private sector. In 1986, she was appointed to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva. For a number of years she was responsible for the design, management, supervision and evaluation of vocational training projects in Asia and Africa. Later she became a policy advisor to the ILO Executive Board and trainer at the ILO training centre in Turin (Italy).

In 1991, Kristel Baele moved to the Netherlands where she worked as a senior executive, first at the TU Delft and later at Leiden University. She was responsible for general management, operations, internationalisation and organisational change processes.

Ms Baele is chair of the regional organisations Gelderland Valoriseert and Zorgalliantie nu!. She is a member of the Internationalisation and the Strategic Policy Research working group of the HBO-raad, a member of VNO-NCW Midden and member the VSBfonds Adviescommissie HBO.

She is an associate member of the Onderwijsraad, the National Advisory Council on Education in the Netherlands.