King’s Commissioner, Province of Zuid-Holland

Mr. Jaap Smit was born in March 1957. He is married and he has two children. From 1976 to 1983, Mr. Smit studied at the University of Leiden and Utrecht University. He obtained his Masters degree in theology, mass communication and public relations. In 1992, Mr. Jaap Smit attended an International Executive Program of INSEAD Fontainebleau (‘Mini MBA’). In his early career, Mr. Jaap Smit worked as teacher, pastor and counsellor of the Royal Army. Afterwards, he worked at KPMG as a Management Consultant from 1994 till 2001. In the next two years, he was employed as the Senior Advisor at Andersson Elffers Felix. From 2003 till 2010, Mr. Smit was the Director of the Victim Foundation Netherlands, and the President of Victim Support Europe. Between 2010 and 2013 Mr. Smit held the position of President of the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the Netherlands (CNV). Mr. Jaap Smit was appointed as King’s Commissioner of Province of Zuid-Holland by His Majesty the King Willem-Alexander in January 2014. In this position, Mr. Smit has visited China in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Additionally, Mr. Smit is also the Chairman of the Carnegie Hero Fund in the Netherlands, Deputy Chairman of National Committee for 4 and 5 May (coordinating the Netherlands’ Remembrance Day and Liberation Day events), Member of the National Committee Veteran Day, Chairman of the Interchurch Contact in Government Affairs and Chairman of the Advisory Board Foundation Aircrash MH17.