Maria van der Hoeven of the Netherlands has taken office as the new Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
She pledged to continue raising the profile of the IEA by stressing its excellence in expertise in helping the world to address the challenges of energy security and climate change in tumultuous economic times.
September 2011: Maria van der Hoeven (the Netherlands) has taken office as the new Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), succeeding Nobuo Tanaka (Japan).
Van der Hoeven served as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands from 2007 until October 2010, and previously as Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 2002 to 2007. During both terms as Minister, she presided as Deputy Chair of the Netherlands Innovation Platform. As Minister of Economic Affairs, energy policy was one of her core responsibilities.
The IEA notes that she is “a fierce supporter of market principles, promoting transparency and establishing a level playing field.” Van der Hoeven has pledged to continue Tanaka’s work of raising the profile of the IEA by stressing its excellence in expertise in helping the world to address the challenges of energy security and climate change in tumultuous economic times. [IEA Press Release]