Alumni in St Petersburg excited to launch local network
Russian alumni from Dutch higher education institutions are uniting locally in Saint Petersburg. The graduates are to open a local chapter of the Netherlands Alumni Network Russia (NANR).
With an active local NANR committee based in Russia’s second biggest city, the launch provides a new opportunity for alumni to stay in touch with each other, the Netherlands and Dutch companies. Dutch higher education institutions will also profit from the opening in St Petersburg. Their former students will now be actively supporting local Study in Holland promotion activities by becoming members of this exclusive network.
In late 2011 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte launched the nationwide NANR network in Russia during a visit to Nuffic Neso in Moscow.
Window on the Netherlands
In St Petersburg, the local NANR chapter will be supported by Nuffic Neso, the Dutch Consulate and the Netherlands Institute in St Petersburg (NIP). The launch will take place as a part of the well-known annual Dutch festival in St Petersburg – Window on the Netherlands – an event for Russians focusing on Dutch economy, culture, education, science and society.
The NANR launch will take place at the residence of the Dutch Consul-General, Jennes de Mol, who will officially open the St Petersburg chapter. After a professional workshop on the topic of leadership, a celebration reception will follow. Russian alumni and Dutch companies based in St Petersburg are invited to join.
Happy to continue Dutch connections
“The alumni in St Petersburg are very excited about the launch” says Elvira Belyalova, a member of the local NANR committee. “We'll be happy to continue our Dutch connections. It's very important to stay in touch in all life and business situations.” With a growing number of alumni in St Petersburg they will trigger more interest in the Netherlands. “It won’t be a big problem to help Dutch institutions.”
The NANR chapter in St Petersburg already has more than 115 members, all Russians who studied or did a traineeship in the Netherlands. Altogether across the country the NANR now has more than 700 members.
The NANR Committee for St Petersburg consists of Olga Chepurova (University of Amsterdam), Olga Yusim (VU University Amsterdam) and Elvira Belyalova (President’s Programme for Management Training between the Netherlands and Russia).