{"id":4471,"date":"2026-09-30T14:24:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/farewell-to-councilwoman-and-our-chairwoman-wietske-veltman\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T14:24:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:24:44","slug":"farewell-to-councilwoman-and-our-chairwoman-wietske-veltman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/en\/farewell-to-councilwoman-and-our-chairwoman-wietske-veltman\/","title":{"rendered":"Farewell to Councilwoman and Our Chairwoman Wietske Veltman"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, September 29, the Leiden City Council bid farewell to Alderman Wietske Veltman. Our director, Leonie Hussaarts, thanked her with the speech below for her dedication as chair of Key Region Leiden. <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/leiden.qualigraf.nl\/app\/public\/agenda\/028200220a2008a802822a200cb48c40\/vod\/aa82aa8082a8822000a208c32f8703fa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Watch the speech<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Dear Wietske,<\/p>\n<p>In my mind, I\u2019m going back a year and a half in time, to April 2025 at Unmanned Valley in Katwijk. That\u2019s where we first met\u2014to discuss the future of the Leiden region. We were both new to our roles at the time\u2014I as director of Key Region Leiden and you as alderman of Leiden, succeeding Fleur Spijker.    <\/p>\n<p>Key Region Leiden didn\u2019t exist at that time, but our collaboration began that day. And Unmanned Valley was actually the perfect place for it\u2014a former air force base that has reinvented itself as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. There, we discussed the future of our region.   <\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s no coincidence that our first meeting took place there, outside the city limits of Leiden. After all, Key Region Leiden\u2019s mission is to strengthen the regional economy across municipal boundaries. And during the time we worked together, you, as chair, made a significant contribution to that effort.  <\/p>\n<p>Key Region Leiden was a revitalized organization with grand ambitions, and we worked with partners to further develop its agenda. It was precisely during that formative phase that it was important to have leaders like you\u2014who are willing to look beyond their own municipalities and invest in the region as a whole. <\/p>\n<p>For you, it wasn\u2019t about policy documents or a collection of statistics. For you, it was about people. About opportunities. About jobs. About innovation that truly contributes to a better and healthier society. Time and again, you asked the same question: How does this actually benefit residents?     <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It\u2019s quite a challenge. Because broad prosperity doesn\u2019t just happen overnight. It requires investments in entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation. You understood that this support ultimately pays off\u2014in jobs, in opportunities for residents, and in the amenities that make a city and region strong and healthy.    <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-4418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Farewell to Wietske Veltman\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman-480x320.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Leonie-Hussaarts-afscheid-Wietske-Veltman.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That was also evident in the causes that were close to your heart\u2014your personal missions regarding women\u2019s health and a future free of animal testing, for example. <\/p>\n<p>And, of course, the continued development of the Leiden Bio Science Park\u2014not only as an economic engine for our region, but also as a place where solutions to major social and health challenges are being developed. You could see the value of this unique campus, not only for Leiden and the region, but also for the Netherlands and far beyond.  <\/p>\n<p>The reason we, as a region, can position ourselves as a dynamic hub of innovation is that, in addition to the Leiden Bio Science Park, we have two other strong knowledge clusters: Unmanned Valley and the NL Space Campus. Together, they form a unique ecosystem of knowledge, research, and entrepreneurship.  <\/p>\n<p>You always kept an eye on the connection between our knowledge-intensive economy and the broader SME sector. You recognized that the true strength of our region lies not only in research and innovation, but above all in their application. In entrepreneurs who translate new knowledge into products, services, jobs, and societal solutions. That\u2019s where the great opportunities lie for Leiden and the region.   <\/p>\n<p>Especially at a time when labor productivity is under pressure, entrepreneurs are facing major sustainability challenges, and space is scarce, that connection is becoming even more important.<\/p>\n<p>In your role as alderman for Economic Affairs, you paid a great deal of attention to that. But you felt it was just as important to understand what was actually going on with business owners. You didn\u2019t just want to talk <em>about<\/em> the economy; above all, you wanted <em>to talk to<\/em> the people who keep it running every day.  <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why you regularly went on working visits\u2014for example, to business parks such as De Waard, the Merenwijk, Amphoraweg, Rooseveltstraat, and so on\u2014where you spoke with business owners about their day-to-day operations and the challenges they face.<\/p>\n<p>You also took concrete steps to better support entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneurs\u2019 Help Desk is a great example of this. It shows that you weren\u2019t just focused on the long term, but also on what entrepreneurs need right now to move forward.  <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-4411\" src=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-25-at-10.17.53-1024x442.jpeg\" alt=\"Farewell to Wietske Veltman\" width=\"640\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-25-at-10.17.53-1024x442.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-25-at-10.17.53-480x207.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-25-at-10.17.53-768x331.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-25-at-10.17.53.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We already took a moment to reflect on your departure at our last steering committee meeting, but on behalf of all the board members at Key Region Leiden, I would like to thank you once again for your dedication to our region. For your passion for the economy and the many connections you\u2019ve forged. But also for the way you\u2019ve led the conversation about Leiden\u2019s future: guided by the conviction that economic development must ultimately contribute to opportunities for residents.  <\/p>\n<p>In addition to my professional appreciation, I&#8217;m also going to miss you personally.<\/p>\n<p>We got along really well. I knew I could always call you\u2014whether for advice, a sharp insight, or just to work through an issue together.  <\/p>\n<p>I have always greatly appreciated your openness, directness, and commitment. Thank you for that. <\/p>\n<p>Finally, I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy everything that lies ahead. I&#8217;m curious to see what the next chapter has in store for you. And I hope our paths cross again someday.  <\/p>\n<p>Leonie Hussaarts<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4415\" src=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/csm_Afscheid_Wietske-Veltman.jpg\" alt=\"Farewell to Wietske Veltman\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/csm_Afscheid_Wietske-Veltman.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/csm_Afscheid_Wietske-Veltman-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><i>Photo below: Representatives from the business community, government, and education gathered at Unmanned Valley in April 2025.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4405 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489.jpg\" alt=\"Key Region Leiden\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489-480x282.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489-768x451.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.keyregionleiden.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/groepsfoto-januari-2025-e1790770928489-1920x1127.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, September 29, the Leiden City Council bid farewell to Alderman Wietske Veltman. Our director, Leonie Hussaarts, thanked her&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-key-region-leiden-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Farewell to Councilwoman and Our Chairwoman Wietske Veltman - Key Region Leiden<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Leiden City Council bid farewell to Alderman Wietske Veltman. 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