Leonie Hussaarts
Director
Director Leonie Hussaarts brings a solid dose of experience at the intersection of science, innovation and strategy. She received her PhD from LUMC and previously worked on complex collaborations at Lygature Foundation, QuTech and TU Delft’s Dream Hall, among others. “My heart is in innovation and building strong, knowledge-driven ecosystems. That I get to do that in my own region makes me proud,” Hussaarts said.
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Joke Busschots
Sr. Communications Advisor
As senior communications consultant, Joke Busschots fulfills a strategic role in strengthening the positioning and communications of Key Region Leiden. With extensive experience within municipal organizations and in cooperation with entrepreneurial organizations, knowledge clusters and educational institutions, she brings different interests and perspectives together. In her work, she focuses on clear communication strategies, clear frameworks and building a strong regional community. By connecting people, stories and developments, she contributes to trust, commitment and a joint positioning that is also recognizable and strong outside the region.
Els Frankhuijzen
Innovation program manager
Els Frankhuijzen strengthens Key Region Leiden and the Leiden Bio Science Park as program manager and strategic advisor in the field of knowledge and innovation since February 2026. With completed degrees in Life Science and Health (Wageningen University and Research Centre), Business Administration (Haagse Hogeschool) and extensive experience in knowledge-intensive sectors, she builds complex programs and sustainable collaborations. A natural connector, she brings organizations together to accelerate innovation and translate it into concrete results. ‘I believe in the power of shared ambition. It is special to use that energy now for a region I have lived in for 30 years,” Frankhuijzen said.
Jarra Schroijen
Advisor strategy & policy
Jarra Schroijen advises and supports the director in determining the strategy, working methods and further development of the implementing organization of Key Region Leiden Foundation. He brings the knowledge he gained at the Municipality of Leiden in the Strategy and Public Affairs department into his work on a daily basis, as well as the organizational skills he has developed at various volunteer organizations. Together with the team of Key Region Leiden, he is working on a robust organization that may lift the Key Region Leiden region to the next level, thanks to the close cooperation with the various partners that Key Region Leiden has.
Deborah Maat
Online business manager / secretariat
Deborah is the silent beating heart behind the scenes of Key Region Leiden. As online business manager, she is the right hand of director Leonie Hussaarts, whose schedule she manages in a tight and orderly manner. Where things get busy, Deborah gets quiet. She has a natural talent for creating order out of chaos: she oversees the whole, sets priorities and makes sure nothing falls between the cracks. No meeting missed, no appointment overlooked. With Deborah at her side, Leonie knows that the basics are always in order so that she can fully focus on what really matters: working together on a robust region.
Birgit Hopff
Area director
Wout Vogelesang
Business parks project manager
Paul Vismans
Quartermaster ROM-B
Paul Vismans, quartermaster of ROM-B, brings extensive experience in project development, real estate investment and corporate real estate. He holds two supervisory directorships and supports clients in strategic issues, transactions and complex area developments and is also director of the ROM-D in the Drechtsteden region. Previously, he was director of various real estate funds at ABP and held management and advisory roles within public and private organizations. ‘I connect parties and realize projects with lasting impact, with independent advice or in execution, with an eye for sustainable choices,’ says Vismans.
Dwayne van der Klugt
SME digitization project manager
Dwayne van der Klugt advises companies in strengthening their future-proofing through individual coaching and regional programs. Thanks to his SME roots and his own entrepreneurship, he knows the reality of entrepreneurs from the inside and connects it to public-private programs. As a Leiden native, he finds it valuable to contribute to economic development here in particular and to bring best practices that he – or one of his hundred or so colleagues at KplusV – gains nationwide to Key Region Leiden. His ambition is to help entrepreneurs grow with concrete, applicable and future-oriented support, such as capitalizing on digitalization opportunities within the Key Region Leiden project Digitaliseringwerkt.nl.