Jan-Paul van Staalduinen appointed General Director of Administration and Central Services from 1 December 2026
As of 1 December, Jan-Paul van Staalduinen will take up the position of General Director of Administration and Central Services and Strategic Secretary of the Executive Board of Leiden University.
Before his appointment at Leiden, he was Director of ITS and Chief Information Officer at Utrecht University. He previously worked as Information Management Manager at Delft University of Technology, where he also completed his PhD research on educational games.
The General Director of Administration and Central Services plays a key role in fostering collaboration between the Executive Board, the faculties and the support services. Jan-Paul van Staalduinen will be responsible for the professional support provided to the Executive Board and for ensuring the quality and coherence of the university’s services. He will focus on strengthening administrative support, the policy cycle and operational management across the university. Particular emphasis will be placed on closer alignment between policy and implementation, as well as on more effective collaboration between the various directorates. Jan-Paul will also be responsible for overseeing the continuation of the organisational development programme.
On behalf of the Executive Board, Luc Sels welcomed the appointment. ‘We are delighted that Jan-Paul is coming to Leiden. Through his experience at several universities, he has acquired extensive expertise in research and teaching, operational management and organisational change. We have also come to know him as a leader with a collaborative and results-oriented approach. We are confident that he will be a tremendous asset to our university.’
Jan-Paul van Staalduinen said: ‘I am deeply honoured by this appointment and am eager to get started. I look forward to working with the Executive Board, the faculty boards and colleagues from Administration and Central Services and the expertise centre to advance Leiden University’s strategic ambitions. This is a fantastic, but also particularly challenging role. Strengthening mutual collaboration within the university’s administrative support structures is key to helping the university move forward.’