Anne Colenbrander

Partnership Developer

What truly motivates me, is making a purposeful contribution to the world. Having worked closely with photojournalists, often from conflict-affected areas, has made me aware of the devastating effects lack of access to justice has on the empowerment and well-being of people. The realisation that this needs to change, is what motivates me every day. Being the eternal optimist, I firmly believe that this change is best achieved together and therefore aim to find connection, fairness and a common goal in everything I do.

As a Partnership Developer at The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), Anne Colenbrander contributes to the sustainable growth of the organisation by ensuring HiiL’s funding base grows and becomes more diverse. In her work Anne focuses on creating new partnerships with the public as well as the private sector and developing and implementing the organisation’s strategic engagement strategy on both a local and (inter)national level.

A creative thinker with an entrepreneurial mindset, one of the things Anne enjoys most about working at HiiL is the organisation’s dedication to innovation and its hands-on approach to finding people-centred solutions that are rooted in reality.

Anne obtained a Master’s Degree in Language and Culture Studies from Utrecht University, specialising in American Studies with a focus on political history and civil rights. She has over 15 years of experience in the international cultural and non-profit sector.

Prior to joining HiiL, Anne worked as the Programming and Events Director at the World Press Photo Foundation, a renowned visual journalism platform that connects the world to the stories that matter. She contributed to the business and strategic direction of the organisation by developing and executing initiatives such as the World Press Photo House and the annual World Press Photo Festival. Another important element of her work was the development and activation of a network of like-minded institutions such as UNESCO, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Committee to Protect Journalists and KidsRights. As part of the World Press Photo Foundation’s management team, Anne was a major contributor to the Theory of Change process through which they defined the mission, objectives and impact goals of the organisation.

Before World Press Photo, Anne spent almost 10 years at Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam in various roles, including managing the business side of their internationally distributed magazine, setting up and managing different project spaces, and as Executive Assistant to the Managing Director and the Board.

When Anne’s not working, she likes to wander around museums and art fairs (she collects art and photography) or any city that tickles her fancy. She goes for a run or does some yoga. She is also a highly enthusiastic yet incompetent surfer; it’s the sheer joy of it that gets her every time. She reads anything that she can get her hands on and likes to write. Anne has been calling Amsterdam her home for the past 15+ years.

Contact info

anne.colenbrander@hiil.org
+31 70 762 0700