Simone Filippini

Professional Background

Simone Filippini is a former senior Dutch diplomat. Among others, she served as Head of the Gender and Women Rights department in the Netherlands MFA, Consul-General for the Southeastern US and Dutch Caribbean, and Dutch Ambassador to North Macedonia. In 2013 she became CEO of one of the largest Dutch humanitarian and development organizations Cordaid after which she served as interim ED of NIMD, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy. In December 2018 Simone established the not-4-profit Leadership4SDGs Foundation which aims at capacitating and empowering government leadership to lead and drive achieving the SDGs.

Simone has been engaged in multiple voluntary functions and roles, including as the elected International Secretary of the National Board of Dutch political party D66, President of the Skopje International School, Board member of the CIDSE – together for Global Justice and of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD). At present a.o. she is a member of the World Government Summit Dubai Global Council on SDG16, President of the UN Association for the Netherlands (UNANL), Member of the International Advisory Board of the Athena Management School in Mumbai, Member of the Supervisory Board of the Netherlands-African Business Council, President of the D66 local Chapter in her city of residence, and a regular contributor to Horasis. Mrs. Filippini is also a strategic adviser, communication expert, accomplished speaker (ZijSpreekt and Bookingworldspeakers.com), and facilitator.

Personal motto

If nothing is ventured, nothing is gained