Euclid Network is delighted to announce that Suzanne Wisse-Huiskes will join us as our new Executive Director from September 2018.
Euclid Network’s President Neven Marinovic said:
“Suzanne’s international profile and social finance experience will be valuable to Euclid Network and our members. We are impressed by her board-level experience in developing the European Crowdfunding Network. Her knowledge of key players in the social finance scene and her combination of for-profit, non-profit and consultancy expertise puts her in an ideal position to build our future and enhance our impact on the social enterprise ecosystem in the whole of Europe and beyond.”
He added: “This also marks an historic moment for the organisation as Suzanne is our first employee based in The Hague, our future home.”
Suzanne will oversee our renewed mission to empower social enterprises to transform the European economy through our EaSI network funding. She will also drive forward our ambitious programmes to connect ever more social entrepreneurs through SEEDplus and to develop the social enterprise ecosystem in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood.
Suzanne said:
“Euclid Network’s track record as a pioneer in supporting the development of the social enterprise finance market is very impressive. Its work today is more relevant than ever, and the relocation to The Hague provides Euclid Network with enormous opportunities for further growth. The focus will be on accelerating support for social entrepreneurs and civil society leaders to create profitable businesses with impact. Their success will continue to drive us. I am very excited to become part of this journey.”
She has worked for over 10 years in alternative finance, particularly impact investing, crowdfunding and startup accelerators. An entrepreneur herself, she is the founder of her own company, Matchbox Consultancy, through which she has advised corporates, impact funds, NGOs and others on creating profitable businesses with impact.
Previously, Suzanne played a key role in establishing crowdfunding platform PIFWorld in the Netherlands, where she was Foundation Director. In this role she led the way for nonprofits in attracting new ways of funding for their projects. To date, the platform has successfully raised EUR10 million of funding for over 11,000 projects.
Suzanne has an MBA from the University of Groningen and has lived in Nigeria, the UK, the USA, Italy and Spain as well as her native country, the Netherlands.
Suzanne will be a panellist at the OECD’s 14th LEED Forum for local development practitioners, entrepreneurs and social innovators in Porto, Portugal, on 18-19 September, at the invitation of the OECD and European Commission.
