Executive Board

The Executive Board governs the Fund in accordance with its articles of association and bylaws. It currently consists of four directors, including a sarcoidosis patient and a family member of a sarcoidosis patient.

Directors

Mr Jules Prast (1961), chairman and treasurer*. Jules is a former business journalist and served as a commissioned officer in the Royal Netherlands Air Force. He worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance in The Hague, and as a top executive in banking and industry. He has extensive working experience in many countries across the world and used to live and work in London.

Mr André Manning (1967), vice-chairman and board secretary*. André is a former business executive with Royal Philips and Booking.com. Based in Prague he used to work across Eastern Europe. Later he moved to the United States, living and working in New York. He was employed as a consultant and an interim manager and currently works for Tata Steel.

Mrs Karin Schrage (1968), board member. Karin is a former Press and PR officer, a civil servant in the Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Hague, and a digital and social media consultant. Born in Athens, she grew up in Greece and later on in Nigeria. Karin lived and worked in Vienna and in Brussels.

Mr Arend Jan Boekestijn (1959), board member. Arend Jan is a former Member of Parliament and an expert in European affairs, defence and international aid. He used to live and work in Florence, Italy. Currently he is a geopolitics lecturer at Utrecht University, a television personality and host of two current affairs radio shows, a guest speaker and a consultant.

* The Fund’s articles of association allow the chair and vice-chair of the Executive Board to combine their roles with the offices of either the secretary or the treasurer, or to appoint a board member both as secretary and treasurer. No board member can, however, hold more than two offices at the same time.