• Professional experience of more than 20 years in the areas Sector Enterprise Assessments, Sector Profiling Studies on the one hand, and Auditing and Reviewing existing and proposed regulation with the aim of Better Regulation and Regulatory Simplification, on the other hand. After a career in POLICY RESEARCH & ADVISORY (EIM & B&A Group), focusing on research of Sector Enterprise Assessments and Sector Profiling Sudies (wholesale, financial services, brokerage, ict), Market Mechanisms & Competitiveness, and Innovation in a variety of Sectors including Brokerage/Real Estate Agents, Accountancy, as well as Better Regulation and administrative burden reduction (Standard Cost Model, developed at EIM), via IT-COMPANIES (NetlinQ Framfab, Inter Access) focusing on IT-support to administrative simplification, became Secretariat-member of the Dutch Advisory Board on Regulatory Burdens (ACTAL) reviewing existing and proposed regulations – many stemming from EU-regulations and Directives. ACTAL was labeled WORLD LEADER in regulatory burden reduction for SMEs in a World Bank Review 2007.
  • Expert on SME-development, regulatory reform and financial services, especially through his work at EIM, B&A Group, ACTAL and recently in collaboration with consultancy firms such as Economic Transformation Group/Jacobs, Cordova & Associates/Pohl Consulting. Started his career with a long-term employment at Holland’s largest independent economic research institute EIM, Economic Institute for SMEs. During these years, he conducted numerous sector profiling and segmentation studies, making use of the full range of research tools, including desk research, interviews, questionnaire-design and sampling, Focus Group Discussions, etc. The goal of many of these projects was to support policy decisions on competitiveness enhancement, specifically but not exclusively, for the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In 1997 and 1999, Kees made contributions to the European Observatory for SMEs, on private sector development, innovation, access to finance and IT.
  • Tourism Licensing Simplification project in Lesotho, goal of the project was to reform regulations for an easier access to the tourism market, that shape the framework for private sector to abolish barriers to enter the tourism market, and attract foreign investors by eradicating cumbersome regulatory requirements and procedures.
  • At the Economic Institute for SMEs (EIM), numerous projects on competition and competition enhancement strategies for the private sector of government regulators. As part of the large governmental program of privatizing ‘nuts services’ or highly regulated markets, such as the energy sector, telecommunication, transportation (taxi services), brokerage, publishing industry. Project financer: Ministry of Economic Affairs.
  • Expertise in SME development projects and/or SME sector budgetary assistance programmes, and/or capacity building support to local and central SME support institutions and/or regional development institutional/capacity building support:
  • Numerous research projects at EIM, Economic Research Institute for SMEs.
  • Work for ACTAL as mediator between Ministries, Departments and Agencies and private sector organizations, in striving for less regulator burden for the latter. Also institutional/capacity building support in projects in Suriname, the Dutch Antilles, Nigeria, and Lesotho through Competitive Enhancement Programs (Suriname and the Dutch Antilles), Public Private Dialogue (Nigeria), Economic Impact Assessment (Nigeria) and regulatory license simplification (Lesotho).
  • Experience of SME monitoring & evaluation studies, Conducted many sector studies for individual Business Membership Organizations as well as financial institutions, the latter projects acquired by his own initiated EIM-business group Financial Services. At EIM Policy Research initiated a successful business group Financial Services, which conducted many studies for government contractor, particularly the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Such as:
    • International Comparison of External Financing Possibilities for SMEs and Policy Measures, 1997. Extensive international consultancy project on differences in regulation in the field of access to external finance opportunities, for the private sector esp. innovative SMEs. Included countries in the benchmark: The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Project financer: Ministry of Economic Affairs. Conclusion was that information asymmetry is one of the biggest problems in functioning of capital markets. Project duration: 6 months.
    • Responsible for the ‘over-all’ contributions on topics finance, innovation and ICT in the yearly publication of The European Observatory for SMEs, a project for and financed by DG Enterprise of the EC, conducted by the European Network for Social and Economic Research (ENSR). Role: research and chief editor of contributions of all member states of the EU private sector development in the field of finance, innovation and ICT. 1997 & 1999. Project duration: 2 months.
    • The valuing and/or disclosing of intangible business assets in the SME sector, 1998, Study on private sector development in relation to acquiring external financing by SMEs through validating intangible assets and proposal of policy measures. Project financer: Ministry of Economic Affairs. Project duration: 4 months.
    • Intangible assets: balancing accounts with knowledge assets, Project financer: Ministry of Economic Affairs, 1999. Project duration: 3 months.
    • The Functioning of the Municipal Credit Banks in relation to access to external finance and loans for small businesses. Project financer: Ministry of Economic Affairs. Project duration: 4 months.

 

Private Sector Development in international context

  • Egypt, Support in Formulisation of a Business Environment Programme. To assist the EU Delegation and the different stakeholders in the formulation and initiation of implementation of the envisaged programme in support of improving the business environment in Egypt. Specific objectives:
    • support the finalisation of the design of a future programme in support of improving the business environment in Egypt;
    • support in outreach and discussion with different potential beneficiaries and stakeholders of the programme;
    • support in the finalisation of an action document (with all relevant annexes ) to support the internal decision making process for allocation of funding for the programme in 2016;
    • support in producing detailed technical documents (Terms of Reference) in line with EU formats to facilitate early commencement of the implementation of the new programme once the financing decision has been taken.
  • Nigeria, Lesotho. PPD-projects on Regulatory Reform in Biotechnology and Biosafety Laws with regard to the Agricultural sector through the use of Biotechnology to increase Agricultural produce and reduce sector vulnerability and food insecurity. PPDs with stakeholders from Government Ministries and Agencies, State and Local Government, Farmers Associations and other Business Membership Organizations, Private Businesses, Financing Parties, Chambers of Commerce, and Biotechnology Research Centers.
  • Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland. Project Development supporting negotiation-positions of SADC-member states concerning the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on Trade in Services between the EU and SADC (Southern Africa). Sector profile studies specifically focused on SMEs and regulatory framework analysis, as preparation for sector-specific negotiations between EU and SADC-members, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.
  • Lesotho: IFC funded project Tourism Licensing Simplification. Provided technical assistance to the Ministry in developing simplified, efficient and transparent regulations and processes to reduce the total costs of administering the licensing process through the simplification of procedures and a review of institutional roles and responsibilities. International comparison with business licensing regulations in other countries such as Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, and particularly Mozambique in the context of GoM’s guiding documents for regulatory reform ‘Strategy to Improve the Business Environment’ (EMAN, 2008-2012) and the ‘2012 Action Plan to Improve the Business Environment’ (PAMAN, 2012).
  • Nigeria, DFID / Ministry of Commerce, Nigeria. Position: Expert on Regulatory Reform. Enhancing Nigerian Advocacy for a Better Business Environment (ENABLE) Program. Assisted the Ministry in the improvement of the quality and quantity of business advocacy and Public-Private Dialogue (PPD), resulting in an improved legal, policy and regulatory environment for business.
  • Nigeria, DFID / Ministry of Commerce, Nigeria. Position: Key Expert. Economic Impact Assessment on Cashless Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and effects on MSMEs.
  • In the context of the Competitiveness Enhancement Programme in Suriname, prepared an Action Plan to improve competitiveness and assist institutions to implement measures and simplify procedures; Conducted diagnostic and benchmarking of Suriname’s competitiveness and assisted the Ministry of Trade and Industry in presentation of the results; Prepared draft reform of the Decree E-24 SB, 145 and 147, on business Licensing for the Sectors Trade, Industry, Craft Industry and Tourism.
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