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“Politics is a game. But the stakes are real and often high. You can choose to remain a spectator. Or you can become a player and make people see that good intentions don't necessarily make good policy.”
Hans provides strategic and political communications advice to multinational companies and governments.
He is a senior adviser to the press service of the Russian President and to a leading international IT company. He has advised a European telecoms company on its communications with EU media and elites, was a senior counsellor on a major cross-border acquisition in the banking sector and worked with the world's leading resources company.
Before joining g+ in October 2005, Hans worked at a political level in the European Commission as an aide to EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes and Internal Market and Taxation Commissioner Frits Bolkestein.
During his time at the European Commission, Hans worked on a number of high-profile issues including the liberalisation of the market for spare parts in the automotive sector, the EU-wide consolidated corporate tax base, excise duties on petroleum products, and the EU Constitutional Treaty. In addition, he handled relations with the media, wrote speeches and was the Commissioners' liaison with the Dutch parliament.
Earlier in his career Hans worked as an advisor to the leader of the Dutch liberal party. He lived in London for 5 years where he taught politics at the London School of Economics. Hans obtained a PhD from the London School of Economics for his research on corporate personality and has a Master's in Political Science from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
In addition to Dutch, he is fluent in English and German and is improving his French.