‘My employees are like family’

Being the director of the Prins Bernhard Culture Fund lets Adriana Esmijer make optimal use of her experience and talents while doing what she loves: working with others. She obtained her PhD in science communication at the VU. ‘Her’ fund, located in a monumental building on Amsterdam’s Herengracht, supports culture, nature and science with financial contributions, commissions, awards and scholarships.

What does a regular working day look like for you? ‘Very busy! As a private culture fund, we have a lot of stakeholders, including business relationships, donors and patrons. Then there’s the business side of the services we provide and our special relationships, such as with the Royal House. I also have to deal with all the King’s commissioners, who are the chairpeople of our provincial departments, the many volunteers involved in our wide range of projects, 25,000 donation collectors and, of course, or own employees. As the director, I’m constantly switching between various groups of people: relationship management is my core-business.

“It’s a 24/7 job that requires great fitness, charisma and energy”

I meet people here, but I also pay a lot of visits to potential or current donors. I visit projects that receive our support in the Netherlands and the Caribbean. I recently went to castle Arcen in Limburg to hand over a check for 100,000 euros to repair the quay walls and purchase a plot adjacent to the estate, and this morning, I signed a covenant regarding Heritage in Suriname at Amsterdam’s Preservation Department.’

Your dream job? ‘It might seem like a life of luxury, always being invited to premiers and launches, but when I’m there, I meet all sorts of people who are interested in us, presenting yet another relationship management opportunity. Culture doesn’t go home at five or take the weekend off: it’s a 24/7 job that doesn’t just demand thorough knowledge of a great many files and cases, but also requires sincere interest in others and a lot of energy.’

How does this job energise you? ‘It truly lets me make a difference. The notion that everything of value is defenceless (as the great Dutch poet Lucebert once said), definitely applies to culture. In this job, I can help make sure that carillons, stained-glass windows or ice cellars in castles are preserved for future generations. We also provide a lot of support to education and music and give out study and research grants for the next generation of scientists, composers and musicians. Anyone graduating from Higher Professional Education (HBO) or university with summa cum laude grades, good references, and sound plans for research, a PhD, or a masterclass abroad, can apply for a grant between 1 February and 1 April every year. We now spend almost 2 million euros on these grants every year.’

You’ve been the director here for 17 years. Why is this job such a good fit? ‘Because it focuses on all sorts of disciplines, including my own scientific field. It’s not that I’m inextricably rooted to this place, but every time I’m approached for different positions, there’s some limitation in terms of the field of work, because they typically focus on a single discipline. This is where I can make the most of my experience and my talents.

‘When I applied for the job with Elco Brinkman, who was the chairman of the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund at the time, I thought that an ex-minister like himself would never consider me, because I wasn’t the director of the Van Gogh museum. However, I made it through the application rounds. I was 35 when I started out here and I was the very first female director. This job has given me the opportunity to broaden my horizons. Full of inexperience, I learned how to manage a large fund simply by doing it and by taking courses.’

‘Being able to come back here every day really kept me going’

‘The Culture Fund is doing well. The employees are like family to me and I’m very proud of all of them: they’re an amazing team. Working with other people is very important to me. I’d hate being self-employed and working by myself all day. A few years ago, my husband died of cancer, but being able to come back here every day really kept me going.’

How did you decide what you wanted to study? ‘I was really into the humanities, but I wasn’t very interested in studying a language. I learned a lot of skills by studying journalism: making deadlines, writing correct Dutch, having the courage to approach people, adopting a critical attitude and having an opinion. My journalism degree had a profoundly shaping influence, but I missed a clear theoretical focus, which is why I wanted to continue studying.

‘Text sciences seemed an obvious next step, but I switched after a year, because Jaap Goedegebuure, professor of Theory and History of Literature, was such a riveting lecturer. During my studies, I worked as a freelance journalist to make a little money. Even before I graduated, I’d started a job as a Science Information Officer at the VU. They were looking for someone with an academic degree and experience in journalism.'

‘I was asked to give a presentation to the deans of the university: fifteen gentlemen and the rector’

‘It wasn’t long before Jan van Overhagen, the head of my department, asked me whether I wouldn’t be interested in doing a PhD, which I started doing one day a week. Back then, the VU still had 15 faculties, but I tried to have all disciplines share the spotlight together. I noticed that the science sections would only address STEM subjects, with the exception of linguistics and archaeology. I researched why that was the case.’

How do you remember your time at the VU? ‘At the time, it felt like a family university: a warm place with a keen interest in the key questions in life, people, and society. It was also remarkably modern, which was reflected in its research projects about gender and climate. For me, a highlight was making the very first VU website with a group of five or six others. I was asked to give a presentation to the deans of the university: fifteen gentlemen and the rector, which opened with a prayer. I still remember saying: ‘Sirs, you might not believe it, but there will come a time when every organisation has its own website.’