Third term for foundation board chair after amendment to statute

Chair Hugo Reumkens has been granted a third term at the helm of Tilburg University’s Foundation Board. This is notable: normally, a chair serves a maximum of two terms. The extension follows an amendment to the statute.

In 2025, the Foundation Board decided to reappoint Reumkens for an additional two-year term. As a result, Reumkens, who took office as chair on 1 January 2018, will exceed the usual maximum tenure of eight years. According to Foundation Board secretary Karin van Amelsvoort, the extension is necessary to safeguard administrative continuity.

Changes within the Board

According to Van Amelsvoort, the reason for the extension is the nearly simultaneous departure of two experienced board members. Jos van Lange left the Foundation Board on 1 October 2025 at the end of his second term. Manon Leijten will step down on 15 March 2026 for personal reasons, after having served for six and a half years.

Had the chair also departed on 1 January 2026, this would, according to Van Amelsvoort, have posed risks to the minimum required board composition and the university’s strategic continuity. Board member Leijten stated, when asked, that Reumkens’ reappointment was made on the nomination of the Foundation Board, in the interest of ‘continuity in supervision.’

‘The chair plays a key role in safeguarding cohesion, the long-term course, and the institutional memory,’ Van Amelsvoort said. Ensuring the university’s Catholic identity was also cited as a factor in the decision.

Positive Recommendation

The Executive Board (CvB) and the University Council unanimously issued a positive recommendation regarding the reappointment. Rector magnificus and Executive Board Chair Wim van de Donk confirmed that, in the view of the Executive Board as well, the extension ‘is necessary for the stability of the Foundation Board and the university itself.’ Van de Donk expressed his appreciation of Reumkens’ performance.

Amendment to the statute

When asked by Univers, Chair Hugo Reumkens stated that he had been involved in the decision-making process only ‘marginally,’ as it concerned his own reappointment. For that reason, he said he could not comment on it substantively.

The articles of association were amended in connection with Reumkens’ reappointment. Previously, a member of the Foundation Board could serve a maximum of two four-year terms. Since the amendment, it is possible for a board member to be reappointed twice more for two-year terms.

This amendment will be explained in the university’s annual report, in line with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. The Code applies to listed companies, but is also frequently adopted by other institutions.

The Foundation Board is now once again at full strength. According to Board secretary Karin van Amelsvoort, initial discussions about the recruitment of a new chair have begun.

Not Common Practice

At most Dutch universities, the supervisory body is known as the Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht). Members – including the chair – are generally appointed for four years, with the possibility of one reappointment. A third two-year term (which may then be extended by a maximum of two years) is not common practice, although the Corporate Governance Code does permit it, provided that it is properly substantiated.

Tilburg University does not have a Supervisory Board but a Foundation Board. Its role is comparable: the Board supervises the Executive Board, appoints its members, and safeguards the university’s strategic direction and identity. The Executive Board is responsible for the day-to-day management.

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