Meet The Team

Founder & President

Hans van den Berg

Hans van den Berg is the Founder and President of The Young Diplomat. In 2012 he finished his BBA in International Hospitality Management and worked for project developers. In 2013 he started working for the Dutch Tax office providing training and consultancy on legal affairs. In 2017 Hans obtained his MSc. in Public Administration from Leiden University, specialising in International and European Governance. Since 2018 he has a teaching position at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he became Chair of the University Council in 2019. As a former elite rower dedication, determination and a can do attitude form an important base for his professional approach.

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Hans is an expert on international negotiation in the political, public and private arena. Specifically on developing and applying strategies, and where the public and private field meet. Some of his publications include: On Strategy and Tactics at PINpoints; Russian aggression, the West’s response? At the Foreign Policy Press; The role of the European Union on the chessboard of great power politics in Modelling The New Europe; Russia, Turkey and Bosnia Herzegovina, a study of operational codes which may harm peacebuilding at the SEN foundation;

External Relations Officer

Zita de Wild

As External Relations Officer Zita makes sure awareness of our events is spread and events are organised to the last detail. She is a young professional currently studying European Policy at the University of Amsterdam after having finished her bachelor Management of International Social Challenges at Erasmus University. Finishing high school Zita asked herself the question: in what direction do I want my future to go? As a committed student council member she has been helping refugees integrate in Dutch society by teaching them the Dutch language and been involved in multiple environmental projects. The urge to direct her future towards solving problems exceeding borders grew as she lived through Californian wildfires. Witnessing the consequential mudslides become fatal to many community members and damaging to the environment, her eyes were opened to an array of issues that cannot be solved by one country on its own. The formation of unity is therefore of crucial importance and is a challenge she is thrilled to take on.

Operations Officer

Tom Lubbers

Tom is the Operations Officer of the Young Diplomat. In this capacity he makes sure all events run smoothly and is students' first point of contact, so he will propably be answering your emails! Tom is a former NMUN delegate and graduate of Management of International Social Challenges at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Moreover, he is Chairman of the MIPAS committee as well as Studygroup Tutor at Study Association Cedo Nulli. Both inside and outside of his studies and research, Tom is focused on international political economy and international relations in an age where the USA is increasingly vacating its role of global hegemon and multilateralism is declining. He also takes a deep interest in designing diplomatic simulations, which often feature as part of our events and Schools.

Communications & Relations officer

Philipp Töllner

Philipp was a chef in a Michelin-star restaurant until he decided to get involved in issues such as climate protection and innovation in international politics. Today, he is studying International Relations and organisations at Leiden University as an Honours student. Since then, he has been contributing his creativity to the German leadership consultancy LEAD as social media manager. With the co-founding of the Young Diplomat Review and as communication and relations officer of the Young Diplomat, Philipp is now passionate about making basic diplomatic skills accessible to everyone and thus changing the face of diplomacy towards more inclusion and tolerance. In particular, his goal is to take a sophisticated aesthetic approach to the review. Alongside his studies, Philipp is also researching the influence of social media on foreign policy agenda-setting.