Heleen van Balen, a Groningen entrepreneur and educator, has been named honorary consul of Sweden to the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.
Van Balen was appointed by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and endorsed by the Dutch government. The consulate, which will be based in Groningen, extends the network of Honorary Consulates of Sweden in the country and has jurisdiction over the three northern provinces. As honorary consul, van Balen will promote economic and cultural exchange between Sweden and the Northern Netherlands and assist Swedish citizens facing an emergency.
Ms. van Balen says she is honored to be named the honorary consul. “I hope to connect Sweden and the North of the Netherlands mainly through my social and business network […] in areas such as healthcare, education, energy and entrepreneurship. I think we can learn a lot from each other and mean a lot to each other in order to make the world a bit nicer again.”
Van Balen is director of Commutatio Group B.V., a local company that deals with job market inclusion, consultancy, education and other projects. She sits on board of a number of companies and organizations. With her past as vice-president in the Commercial Club Groningen, Rotary and the Groninger Entrepreneurship Award, Ms. van Balen has an extensive business network in the region.
Van Balen holds a degree from the University of Groningen where she specialized in Governance and Strategic management, Risk management and Leadership. She is also a faculty member of the Hanze University for Applied Sciences.
The appointment ceremony was held on May 24, 2023, on the premises of the International Welcome Center North in Groningen.
