​Bart Vriends is the kind of Dutch footballer who doesn’t just turn up, do his job, and disappear into the dressing room. At 34, he’s still fully “all gas, no cruise control” in Australia—because the A-League Men isn’t exactly a retirement village for footballers. He’s recently extended his contract, lives near the beach in Adelaide, and spends his afternoons doing very Dutch things like finding a decent coffee spot, observing cultural quirks, and wondering why everything closes so early.
— Interview by Vasco Bontje, DutchSA

You’ve done a fair few interviews. Do you actually enjoy it?
Yeah, I don’t mind it at all. I’ve picked up a lot of interview experience over the years—being captain at Sparta helped with that, because after matches you’re often the one who has to say something sensible to the media. I’ve also done other bits and pieces: a podcast with two fellow footballers, some TV stuff… I kind of like that world. Not because I’m trying to jump ship tomorrow, but because I’d go completely bored if football was the only thing in my life. It would feel very one-dimensional. And honestly, I’ve seen players struggle when football ends. Their whole identity is “I’m a footballer,” and then suddenly… nothing. That’s not a situation I want to end up in.

Are you already thinking about “after football”? Media, writing, documentaries… that sort of thing?
Bart: A little, yeah. But my main focus is still: play as long as I can, and play well. That said, I’m still doing a podcast from here, so I can keep that going. And I’ve had to say no to other projects—documentary ideas, narrative podcast concepts, maybe writing—because football always comes first. Ideally, you slowly build something alongside football, so when you start winding down you’ve already got other things ready to grow into. But Australia definitely isn’t a “winding down” league. I’m 34, but you can’t cruise here. It’s physically tough, you have to work hard right until the end of your contract.

Football in Australia sits behind Aussie Rules and cricket. Has anything about football culture here surprised you?
The biggest thing for me—kind of a negative one—is attendance and atmosphere at some clubs. With Adelaide United it’s actually great: good crowds, real passion, proper vibe. But I’ve played in places where there are like 5,000 people in a 50,000-seat stadium. That kills the atmosphere completely. In the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium—even mid-table clubs—people show up with passion. It matters. Here, at some clubs, it matters less. The derby (the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-2026) we played recently was chaos—in a good way. Proper intense, hot, loud… I loved that.

Why do you think that difference exists?
I think sport competition here is just different. Football has fewer “events” than some other sports—less scoring, fewer dramatic moments. For a lot of people it’s more like: a nice night out with the family—have a chat, watch some football, go home. The upside: people don’t get beaten up after a loss, and players don’t get carried on shoulders after one good match. It’s more relaxed, more distance. But the downside is: if results dip and you lose a few dull games, crowds can drop fast. Dutch supporters are more loyal in that sense. In the Netherlands you go because you’re a supporter. It’s more than entertainment. 

But quality-wise—did Australian football surprise you?
Yeah, in a positive way. Europeans sometimes think: “We invented football, so everyone else is doing a primitive version.” That’s just not true. The level is good. People think tactically, training is strong, and the physical level is high. You don’t just turn up and coast—you really have to work for it. And because I’m Dutch, people do ask: “How do you do it in the Netherlands?” Clubs are definitely curious about that influence.

Now, Bart asked me a question: I hear a tiny Aussie twang in your Dutch sometimes—do you notice that?
Vasco: Haha, yeah, maybe. It’s probably a mix. I speak German at home with my wife, Dutch with my 15-month-old daughter (not much feedback yet), but most of my day is in English. That seeps in. Bart: I noticed it too at Dutch drinks: people who’ve been here for 10–15 years — you start hearing it. Especially if they have an Australian partner and work in English all the time. It’s interesting — when does an accent shift without you realising?

When you got on the plane to Adelaide: how did you imagine life would be? And how did reality compare?
I imagined the stereotypes: good weather, relaxed people, beaches, palm trees, barbecues, everyone chill and that’s true to a certain extent. What I hadn’t fully grasped was the scale. The distances. The vastness. The emptiness. Coming from Europe, you simply don’t have the imagination for it. It starts with away games—we’re constantly flying where you get that exposure to distances.. But even in daily life: the distance between my house, the supermarket, the club… In the Netherlands you’d cycle that. Here everything is spread out. And road trips—six hours driving and you’re basically in “nothingness” for huge stretches. That was new.

Have you had contact with Aboriginal culture here?
I haven’t really had personal contact yet. Not through football, not through work, not socially. And that’s something I’ve noticed. For a country that often talks about having one of the oldest living cultures in the world, it feels surprisingly separate from everyday city life. I can’t help comparing that to places like New Zealand, where Māori culture feels much more present — in street names, language, hospitality, and public life. There, it feels embedded rather than symbolic. In Australia, my impression is that Aboriginal culture often remains on the sidelines: acknowledged, but not fully integrated.
I’m not pretending to have answers, and I’m very aware that this is just my observation as someone who’s still relatively new here. But it’s something that’s stood out to me.

Outside of football—what do your days look like? Have you found your rhythm?
Honestly, it’s a very decent life. Training in the morning, plus gym, meetings, recovery stuff, massage—normal pro football routine. That’s five to six days a week. Afternoons are more open. I’ll go for coffee, read, meet someone, or just sit somewhere and chill. One thing I still can’t get used to: everything closes early here. I live near Henley Beach, so if I feel like it, I can just be at the beach. It’s pretty “living the dream,” not going to lie. Compared to the Netherlands, the rhythm is similar but here you spend more time travelling—flights, hotels, away weekends. That also bonds the team, because you’re together a lot. And I keep working on my podcast in the evenings or afternoons.

But the downside of pro sport: it can turn quickly, right?
100%. Your spot is never guaranteed. Two bad games, or an injury, and someone else is ready to take your place. Contracts are short—one, two, three years—so you always have to perform. When you play well, everything is fun and you enjoy the city more. When you’re injured or not playing, you can feel like a tourist on holiday… but without the joy of being on holiday. For me, enjoyment starts with performing and contributing.

Friends and family visiting—has that surprised you?
Yeah, actually. I’m really grateful, but I didn’t expect so many people to come. My dad was here recently. Friends have visited—several couples, my brother, my sister-in-law, even a mate coming back for a second time soon. It’s special that people make that effort to cross the world. And it does something to relationships, honestly. When someone visits you here, you spend loads of time together, you show them your life… It strengthens things.

Where do you take visitors first if you want to impress them?
Something simple: a good spot to sit, have a bite, get a nice view. Then maybe a drive through McLaren Vale. Food is good here, but it’s not always unique. Good quality, but not necessarily “only-in-Australia” special. Breakfast culture is strong though—brekkie burgers, hash browns, that whole thing.

Are you staying in Australia longer, or is it still temporary?
I just extended my contract—at least one more year. But we’re not emigrating. We’ll go back to the Netherlands at some point. Whether that’s in three years or four, I don’t know yet, but it won’t be ten. A lot of people say “temporary” and then it changes, of course. But for us, it’s tied to work and visas. I could go for PR, but I don’t really see the benefit right now.

Dutch vs Aussie mindset: ambition, teamwork, directness—what differences do you notice?
Australians are genuinely friendly. Small talk is natural and doesn’t feel fake. People connect easily, and there’s this sense of community and harmony. In a team setting, you’re welcomed and supported. In the Netherlands, it’s more like: “Welcome—now prove yourself.” Dutch culture is harsher, more direct. The directness is a big one. In Dutch football, after a bad match, you sit in a video session and you hope you’re not the one getting roasted. If it happens, you take it on the chin and move on. Here, feedback is softer and more “wrapped up.” Criticism is rarely aimed at one person. It’s more positive and harmony-focused. I actually think that’s healthier… but sometimes I miss the sharpness. That “right, this is the line” feeling. Work-life balance is also much stronger here. People protect weekends and evenings. If you’re planning to message someone outside work hours, you can expect a polite version of: “Mate, Monday.”  In the Netherlands there’s more of the “you’re responsible for your own success, push harder” vibe. Here it’s more “we do it together.” Even in small things you notice the difference: here, you call the coach by their first name. In the Netherlands, there’s more hierarchy—not military, but it’s there. You call the coach Coach (though you can still give him a box-handshake when greeting).

And humour—any difference?
Australians, to me, come across as lighter. It often feels like people are just a bit more relaxed, almost as if everyone’s quietly won the lottery and decided not to make a big deal out of it. Life feels less heavy, less loaded. Compared to Dutch humour, which can be sharper and more direct — sometimes at someone else’s expense — this feels softer. In the Netherlands we’re quite good at taking the piss out of each other, calling things out bluntly, and laughing because it’s uncomfortable. Here, the humour feels more about keeping things pleasant, light, and enjoyable. Even in media and entertainment, I notice it. I hardly ever see heavy, confrontational talk shows or deep, intense debates on TV. Things stay upbeat, friendly, and accessible. Sometimes I miss a bit of edge or depth, but at the same time I understand it fits the broader mindset here. So yeah, I wouldn’t say Australian humour is better or worse — it’s just different. Less sharp, more relaxed, more woven into everyday life.

Professor Michelle Picard brings a global mindset to South Australia, shaped by years of working across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. With Dutch roots and a strong appreciation for Dutch pragmatism, she approaches education, innovation and technology with both curiosity and common sense. At Flinders University, Michelle works at the intersection of learning, ethics and emerging technology — always with a focus on keeping people, not platforms, at the centre.

— Interview by Vasco Bontje, DutchSA

You’ve lived and worked in Australia, South Africa, the UAE, Oman and Singapore. How have these international experiences shaped your approach to leading learning and teaching at Flinders? And what lessons are most relevant for South Australia?
Working across cultures teaches you one very clear truth: there’s no such thing as a ‘standard’ student. Every class brings a mix of life stories, expectations and motivations. If you walk in with stereotypes about nationalities or cultures, you will get it wrong. Listening first is the real skill. What does carry across borders is that all students want to be heard. They want to feel they belong. They want the chance to grow into who they hope to become. Whether in Adelaide, Oman or Singapore, that part never changes.

How does that translate into the South Australian context?
We sometimes forget how small and sheltered SA can feel. Even academics — people who live and breathe research — can slip into a bit of navel-gazing. It’s easy to become comfortable and assume the way we teach, or the way things are done locally, is the only way. One of my roles has been to gently lift people’s heads and remind them to look outward. Our students come from a world that’s far broader than our own habits, and if we don’t model that openness ourselves, how can we expect it from them?

With your interest in emerging tech, do you think the risks or opportunities are understood in higher education?
I think we have both extremes. On the one hand, there are people still hoping that all these new technologies are going to go away and stop. On the other extreme, there are people thinking it’s the shiny new thing that’s going to fix all the problems, and it can happen overnight. To actually implement generative AI, you’ve got to go about things in a different way. You can’t assume you can learn a technology and it’s finished. It’s constantly changing and updating, and even that is quite challenging. You’ve also got to change the way of doing. Yes, you can use AI for daily tasks to make yourself more efficient — that’s simple. But if you’re using it more broadly for learning and teaching or externally facing for students or staff, then you need much more systematic approaches and processes to embed its use effectively. The problem is that people might have a little bit of knowledge, or they got some knowledge at the beginning, but they don’t realise they constantly need to update and improve that knowledge. And I think we focus a lot on generative AI literacy for students, which is very important, but there needs to be a lot of work in the generative AI literacy of staff — both professional and academic staff.

Are ethics, equality and human connection becoming more important because of AI?
They absolutely are — more than ever, in fact. We’re living in a time where truth itself feels negotiable. Fake news spreads faster than facts, and digital tools can fabricate something that looks real in seconds. In that environment, ethics and critical thinking aren’t ‘nice to have’; they’re essential life skills. Technology isn’t the enemy here, but it can narrow our world if we’re not careful. Social media, personalised feeds and now AI can create echo chambers that reinforce what we already believe. If we don’t teach students how to question, evaluate and reflect, we’re setting them up to be swept along by whatever the algorithm serves next. That’s why human connection has to stay at the centre of education. AI can support learning, but it can’t replace the role of a teacher in helping students make sense of the world. It can’t challenge a bias, encourage a broader perspective, or help someone see beyond their immediate environment. So yes — ethics, equality and meaningful human connection matter even more now. Our responsibility is to show students how to use these tools responsibly, model ethical behaviour ourselves, and create learning environments where they can practise these skills rather than be shielded from them. Because without those foundations, no amount of technology will move us forward.

Going back to less disruptive things, DutchSA works to strengthen ties between South Australia and the Netherlands. What is your connection with Dutch culture or ways of working?
I’m half Dutch, so pragmatism is basically in my DNA. I follow Dutch higher-education practices closely, and what I admire most is their grounded approach to innovation. No lofty speeches — just ‘How do we make this work?’ That resonates deeply with me. My mother always said I had big feet as a child (“flat on the earth” – “plat op de aarde”) — I’d ‘grow into them’. What she meant was: I’m very firmly on the ground. No floating, no fuss. That’s quite Dutch, I think! 🙂

What could South Australians learn from the Dutch?
I think we’ve got to work with what we have in common already — the history, the culture, the backdrop of stability, rethinking, critical thinking and innovation. Where South Australians can learn from the Dutch is in lifting the head above the parapet and thinking beyond Australia. The Netherlands is an easy route into Europe for people in SA. Just like Singapore can be an easy route into Asia, the Netherlands is a way for SA to interact more broadly with Europe. We have a lot in common, and people can really relate to that. Other countries might seem much more foreign or strange, but the Netherlands isn’t — it’s familiar. So making those research connections, innovation connections and business connections is important. It’s a way in which SA can support people to think more broadly and not remain too narrow or navel-gazing. And I think that’s where the Netherlands can really be a gateway into Europe for SA.

If DutchSA built a figurative bridge between SA’s education sector and the Netherlands, what should that bridge look like?
A bridge that encourages free thinking. One that helps people look beyond the local, collaborate more easily and feel confident stepping into a global space. Something that celebrates what both sides already have in common — openness, curiosity, a willingness to innovate — and strengthens it. I’d call it the “Free Thinking Bridge”—a gateway to new ideas and opportunities.

Hans Becker, born and raised in the East of the Netherlands at the edge of Twente was working in London (in 2010) when he met 'Radeladian' Julia. One thing led to another and after Julia said 'yes', the family grew with daughter Sofia, who is now 4, and cat Jelly. Then the family decided to permanently move to Adelaide...

Hans' career made an unexpected 360 after arriving in Adelaide. His first job after completing his study at Nyenrode University in 2002, was working for BHP in the UK gas market. In Adelaide he joined South Australia Head Quartered Oz Minerals, working in the projects and energy side. Then last month, Oz Minerals was taken over by BHP, and Hans suddenly and unexpectedly was back at his first employer!

Prior to migrating to Australia, Hans worked in London for Merrill Lynch in the gas and electricity markets and was an emissions trader for 9 years with EDF Trading. When he decided it was time to swap London for Amsterdam, he set up a company to trade emissions on his own account from a seat at Beursplein 5, the famous Dutch stock exchange building in the heart of Amsterdam. Hans' career then moved from helping a solar wholesaler to create a 'battery as a service' concept to cocoa trading Financial Risk Management for Cargill.

The trigger for the Becker family to move to Adelaide was covid, which had effectively closed the doors to Australia and made the family realise they should be living closer to Hans his in-laws.

Before daughter Sofia was born, Hans used to run many triathlons in the Netherlands, and he is thrilled to be back on the bike again in the weekends and explore the beautiful hills around Adelaide.

If you want to catch up with Hans Becker, please reach out via his LinkedIn profile.

You know the old saying ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’. That pretty much sums up the life of Sef van den Nieuwelaar. Limburg born and Brabant bred, Sef studied Chemical Engineering at the TU of Eindhoven but started his professional life working in the printing industry! Looking for a career break he saw an ad in the paper calling for a ‘young person who wanted to work in Adelaide for 3 years’. This was in 1990.

That same year when the first opportunity arose to explore this wonderful new country he moved to, he met Kenzie, his travel agent. Love blossomed and after spending a year back in the Netherlands together, they decided to return to Adelaide. They got married and had two kids, now great young adults, Callum and Skye.

Professionally Sef moved into operational management and managed an ERP implementation project which ultimately landed him a job as a software consultant with JD Edwards. Again serendipity intervened and with the local JDE office closing Sef decided to ‘go at it alone’ in consultancy, something he has been doing successfully over the last 22 years working for companies such as Coopers, Yalumba, National Pharmacies and Jurlique.

15 years passed and it was time to work on a second set of skills. Sef enrolled in the Company Director’s course of the AICD and in 2016 became Board Director of Dutch aged care organisation Rembrandt Living. This coincided with his first visit to the DutchSA borrel and he has been a regular borrel visitor ever since.

Sef also expanded his Directorship portfolio over the last 5 years. He is now Chair of Rembrandt Living and board member of St John Ambulance SA, of the Leaders Institute of South Australia and of philanthropic organisation Impact100.

When Sef is not in front of his PC or in the boardroom you can probably find him either enjoying a glass of red or hiking/rogaining in some inhospitable spot in SA.

Always up for a chat or a coffee (or something stronger) Sef can be contacted on 0412 876439, on [email protected] and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sef-van-den-nieuwelaar-a86b57a/
​

WTF? 
Yes, you read that right. The WTFuture? event is Wendy’s main focus as Program Manager for The Difference Collective – The social enterprise that is part of Culturise.
WTFuture? is happening on November 17th at the Adelaide Showgrounds. WTFuture? is a co-led event by both youth and employers where dialogue, story exchange and hands-on experience will lead to a discovery of each other's potential in creating a better workplace for all. Rooted in connection and collaboration, we debunk one myth at a time, breaking down the existing barrier mindsets and biases, and ultimately reimagining youth employment pathways for youth with a difference.

Wendy’s employment pathway was far from straight-forward and if you would draw it on a map, it would probably look like a messy scribble…She has never been focussed on one specific career, or study for that matter. Her bachelor in Liberal Arts and Sciences covered subjects including social sciences, European law and history to neurosciences…from here she went on to do a Master’s in Organisation Studies and zoomed in on Organisational change management. 

From here, after only started her first step into her career pathway, she decided to come to Australia on a working holiday visa. For a year she enjoyed the backpacking life before she hopped over to the neighbours: New Zealand. Working in Windy Wellington for several government agencies gave her a first taste of doing work with “purpose”. She worked on a Diversity Campaign for Engineering New Zealand and was part of the Sustainability team at Maritime New Zealand. 
Her return to Australia was decided by a flip of a coin: Tail for Fremantle, Heads for Adelaide. “I wanted to live in a small city that has plenty going on and where nature is close by.” 

Adelaide hasn’t been very forgiving as a close-knitted community. The saying “Who you know is more important than what you know” really seem to be true for the Adelaide job market and it took her a good few years to finally land in her current role. 

“Now, I feel incredibly grateful that I get to bring my core values of Love, Purpose, Mindfulness and Community into my daily work: Connecting people to create positive outcomes 
for the individual, our community & world we live in.
Like we say at Culturise, change is one of the few constants and to deal with change, we must have the tools to change our own responses - our habits. It’s what Adelaide has taught me for sure and I now feel more equipped to embracing change as well as leading it…” 

You can read more about the WTFuture? event on www.wtfuture.com.au or get in touch:
[email protected]
And learn more about how we can help you creating a better workplace for all on www.culturise.com.au or reach out to [email protected]

This time, we look into the events that led Erik de Roos from his birthplace Zwolle – to Adelaide today – where he is responsible for marketing the beautiful state of South Australia to the world.

It all started during his studies at the Breda University of Applied Sciences – where Erik studies Tourism Management and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2003. His studies took him to the US state of Vermont, which is best known as the home of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and maple syrup.
 
In Vermont, Erik completed an internship at the Ascutney Mountain (Ski) Resort. At the same time, Erik’s now wife, Gloria, was there on a working holiday. As it happens, Gloria was from Adelaide and she moved with Erik to the Netherlands where they lived together for some years. The couple then decided to move to South Australia for lifestyle and family reasons and in December 2004, Gloria and Erik arrived in Adelaide. They since got married and today they are blessed with 3 young boys.
 
When he moved to Adelaide, Erik had hoped to secure a job in the South Australian Tourism industry. Unfortunately, there were limited opportunities and Erik found work in the advertising industry instead. Erik called advertising home for about a decade, working from the bottom up. As Head of Account Management at Clemenger BBDO, Erik served iconic South Australian clients, like Jacob’s Creek, San Remo, and the Motor Accident Commission, where Erik helped produce some of the most recognised and award-winning advertising campaigns in the state.
 
When Clemenger BBDO merged with KWP in 2015 after closing its Adelaide offices, Erik decided to take a different path and join a challenger advertising agency: cummins&partners. However, an offer he could not refuse ended this path after 18 months, as San Remo asked Erik to become their Chief Marketing Officer. In this capacity, Erik was responsible for setting the strategic marketing direction for some of Australia’s most recognised FMCG brands, including San Remo, Fantastic Snacks and Balfours Bakery.

For 5 years Erik was at the helm of San Remo’s marketing, but he had never forgotten about his first passion and ambition when coming to Australia, to share the well-kept secret of Adelaide and South Australia with the whole world. Telling about a place, not only recognised as one of the top 3 best places to live, but a destination that is not naturally exposed to mass tourism, with vast beauty and diversity of landscapes and experiences on offer!
 
In July 2021 Erik came full circle when he landed the position of Executive Director Marketing for the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC). He now leads the State's Destination Marketing department and set its strategic marketing plans. Erik can focus all the expertise he gained on his journey through tourism, advertising and marketing on generating demand for South Australia as a premium, boutique tourism desitination and in turn, help grow the South Australian visitor economy!
 
Without a doubt, accepting this new job in the midst of a global pandemic was not without its challenges. The South Australian tourism industry, which pre-Covid contributed in excess of $8bn and 40,000 jobs to the South Australian economy, was severely impacted by border closures, lockdowns and trading restrictions. However, supporting the industry through these challenging times has only strengthened Erik’s resolve to hep drive the recovery of the State's visitor economy.
 
Erik is optimistic about the future of South Australia's tourism industry and is excited about playing a part in promoting our beatiful State to Australians – and he rest of the world!

Yvette van Eenennaam is the General Manager of Adelaide BioMed City, the $4.2 billion Health and Biomedical Innovation District in the heart of Adelaide with impressive infrastructure including the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, the SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), and facilities for all three of the state’s universities. This innovation hub co-locates institutions from research, education, clinical care and industry to drive collaboration, innovation, translation and commercialisation.
Yvette is also the chair of the state-wide genomics centre, the SAGC. She co-led the development of the business plan for the SAGC, secured federal funding, and achieved that all the relevant key institutes in SA to commit to a Partnership. Its establishment was supported by an investment of over $7 million. 
​In Europe, Yvette has enjoyed leadership roles at Deloitte, Nike Inc and ABN ABMRO Bank, with a focus on strategy, organisational development, change management and innovation.

​Born and raised in the south of the Netherlands, Jeroen Hendriks studied Nursing and Health Sciences at Maastricht University in the beautiful city of Maastricht. During his PhD he developed a specialised outpatient service for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, at the Maastricht University Medical Centre. In a randomised controlled trial, he demonstrated effectiveness of this approach compared to usual care, in terms of reductions in hospitalisation and mortality in this population. In 2012 Jeroen was invited to deliver a keynote and present these results at the annual conference of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) in Brisbane. Here he met a cardiologist with an interest in AF management, who invited him to do collaborative research in Adelaide. 
 

Move to Adelaide
After starting remote collaboration with the Adelaide research team, Jeroen moved to Adelaide in 2015 to join the team at the Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders at the University of Adelaide. His research focusses on the development of innovative models of care delivery for patients with cardiovascular conditions, in particular AF. Based on the concept of integrated care, these models include a patient-centred approach, multidisciplinary teams, comprehensive treatment, and the use of technology to support the integrated approach. The team has demonstrated the importance of risk factor management and lifestyle modification as part of comprehensive treatment of cardiac arrhythmias, demonstrating improved clinical outcomes in patients. 
 
Professor of Cardiovascular Nursing
Early 2020 Jeroen had the opportunity to move to Flinders University to take up the Inaugural Leo J Mahar Cardiovascular Nursing Chair. This Professorial role is a clinical-academic joint appointment between the Caring Futures Institute, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University and the Department of Heart and Lung at the Central Adelaide Local Health Network. In this role he aims to generate multidisciplinary research in the clinical setting which guides the development of a collaborative of academic and clinical excellence. Besides his work in Adelaide, Jeroen has ongoing collaborations with the Department of Cardiology at the Maastricht University Medical Centre and is actively involved within the European Society of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society in the United States. 
 
Please connect with Jeroen through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenhendriksausse or Twitter: @J_Hendriks1 

Mark de Raad was born in ’t Gooi in Laren, The Netherlands and emigrated to Australia with his immediate family in the mid 80s as an emerging teenager - first to Victoria, and then later to Adelaide. From a background of jewellery and watch making, Mark’s father was most keen that he focus on an alternate career choice. After quite a few twists and turns that included significant studies as a musician, music teacher, and a physiotherapist, he eventually settled on a career in ICT. In a long term committed relationship for over 24 years, Mark is proud to call Adelaide and Australia home whilst still valuing his Netherlandish roots - retaining strong ties to language, culture and family in Europe.

Founding a company in 1996, I-Nex, he has been headquartered in South Australia ever since providing software solutions across Australia, into Asia and Europe. Focussed on product and custom solutions in change management, automotive and manufacturing, safety systems in oil and gas projects and specialist tools for association and not-for-profits, the company also has a strong focus on social projects, particularly education and health services. Initially started as a network and systems support group, software soon became a passion when it managed to combine artistic skills, creative problem solving with critical thinking. Having spanned a career starting with mainframes, to decentralised desktop computing, to now cloud and SaaS services, it has certainly been quite the journey of continued application and learning!

More recently, Mark has been asked to chair and sit on several government and non-government boards - particularly focussed on Arts organisations - including the State Opera South Australia, Coriole Music Festival, Recitals Australia, Chamber Music Adelaide, Cabaret Fringe Festival - and has consulted for most of South Australia’s significant arts companies. In a way, bringing life full circle with his arts beginnings and now bringing over 25 years of management and business experience to those organisations.

Mark is always looking for a challenge (“a project with real problems to solve”) and would be delighted to network further with the local community. You can connect with him at www.deraad.com