Mr K.C.E.M. Wiersma

“Everything must be made as simple as possible. But not simpler.”
― Albert Einstein

After finishing my Master’s degree in Dutch and Comparative European Civil Law at Maastricht University, and having dipped my feet into the legal profession in several organizations, I was lucky enough to be able to return to UM in 2008 as legal counsel for the Department of Legal Affairs. In this role, I mainly focused on drafting, revising and negotiating (mostly international) contracts, supporting the Purchasing Department in public procurement procedures and offering general legal advice to colleagues and internal administrative and management bodies.

In 2013, I had the opportunity to transfer to the Finance Department, where my role shifted to legal & tax (policy) advisor. In this role, I was able to occupy myself, among other things, with advising on (strategic) partnerships, projects and policy. To this end, I drew up contracts, regulations, articles of association, etc. and participated in negotiations with the parties concerned. In that context, I was also involved in the establishment and development of the Brightlands Campuses and other (public-private) initiatives, including Brightsite. Furthermore, I initiated the establishment of a tax-team and developed several tax policies in UM’s implementation of a Tax Control Framework.

In June of 2021, I was offered a new challenge. I transferred to the Faculty of Science and Engineering in the function of Managing Director FSE Circular Community & Collaborations. In this role, I act as a representative of the Faculty Board on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus. In this capacity, I am also part of the Management Team of the Brightsite initiative. Furthermore, I assist the newly formed Department of Circular Chemical Engineering in its set-up and management, and I use my legal and tax expertise to help out in various projects at FSE Central.