NL

Simon van Damme appointed new member of HKU’s Executive Board

  • 07 november 2025

The Supervisory Board of HKU Academy of the Arts Utrecht is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon van Damme (43) as member of the Executive Board of HKU. Simon is currently Dean at LUCA School of Arts and KU Leuven in Flanders and will take up his position at HKU on 1 January 2026.

Simon van Damme appointed new member of HKU’s Executive Board
Dr. Simon van Damme is an experienced leader in the fields of art and higher education, with a strong academic and policy background. From 2018 until this past summer, he served as General Director of LUCA School of Arts, the largest arts university in Flanders. He was also Dean of the associated Faculty of Arts at KU Leuven. Before that, he was Higher Education Advisor to the Flemish Minister of Education, contributing to reforms in quality assurance, teacher education and professional bachelor’s programmes. Earlier in his career, he held policy positions at the KU Leuven Association and was active as a musicology researcher.

Jurenne Hooi, chair of HKU’s Supervisory Board: “With Simon van Damme, HKU welcomes a leader with deep-rooted knowledge of arts education, both from a policy and a practical perspective. He combines analytical sharpness with a collaborative leadership style and a broad vision on the societal role of education and the arts. Together with Gaby Allard, he will form a strong and complementary Executive Board, ready to guide HKU into the next phase of its development.”

Simon van Damme: “Art universities are an indispensable source of sustainable creativity in our world. With its wide range of programmes and socially relevant research profiles, HKU contributes to this in a unique way. I look forward to working with students, lecturers and colleagues to fully realise HKU’s potential. After 25 years of studying and working in Leuven (and surroundings), Utrecht will become my new favourite city with its inspiring ecosystem of knowledge institutions, cultural organisations and social partners.”

Appointment procedure

The Supervisory Board decided to appoint Simon van Damme after a thorough procedure. The profile sketch for the new member was developed in consultation with the directors and after a positive advice from the Central Council of Representatives (CCR). In the appointments committee, HKU was broadly represented – by the members of the Supervisory Board, an academy director, staff director, professor and one student member as well as a staff member of the CCR.

From 1 January 2026, Simon van Damme will join Gaby Allard as Chair of the Executive Board, forming the new leadership team of HKU. Until that time, Judith Meijer will continue to serve as interim Chair of the Executive Board.
Dr. Simon van Damme

About Simon Van Damme

Dr. Simon van Damme (born 1982) was born in Bruges (Belgium) and studied musicology at KU Leuven and the Sorbonne (Paris). He obtained his PhD at KU Leuven with research on sixteenth-century polyphony and music theory. After working as policy officer within the KU Leuven Association, he became Higher Education Advisor to the Flemish Minister of Education in 2014. In 2018, he was appointed General Director of LUCA School of Arts and Dean of the associated Faculty of Arts, established at KU Leuven in 2020. In these roles, he served on several boards, including the Flemish Council of University Colleges, the KU Leuven Association and Catholic Education Flanders. He is also an independent board member of Mu.ZEE.

Alongside his administrative work, Simon has remained active in the cultural field as a musicologist, lecturer and performing musician. He lives in Amsterdam with his family.