Managing director and three members of the Supervisory Board Foundation CariFoodFund


Working together to improve food security in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom

The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) is currently working on the establishment of a new fund called CariFoodFund which is to be structured as a foundation. This fund represents an important step towards improving food security on the six Caribbean islands in the Kingdom. CariFoodFund is intended to stimulate local food production, support entrepreneurship and share know-how, so that more food can be produced sustainably and locally. The aim is to structure CariFoodFund in such a way that it is a revolving fund.

For this new foundation we are looking for:

1.    a managing director and
2.    three members of the Supervisory Board.

Together they will create a forward-looking organisation that will help entrepreneurs to grow, stimulate innovative agriculture and fisheries and contribute to a healthy, local food supply on the islands.

About CariFoodFund

The fund is to be legally structured as a foundation and its aim will be to develop and offer services to entrepreneurs in the food sector that help to improve food security. The term ‘food security’ means: ‘all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences’. 

This is the definition used by the United Nations and the related programme aligns with the definition of food security used by the Dutch government. Currently the islands are still heavily dependent on imported products and that makes their position vulnerable. CariFoodFund wants to eliminate this dependency by supporting local initiatives and offering entrepreneurs access to funding and know-how. CariFoodFund is therefore a financial institution for entrepreneurs.

The idea is to create a revolving loan fund to assist (start-up) entrepreneurs in the food chain with various types of commercial financing. The fund will receive its start-up capital from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and that capital will have to be supplemented with funding from banks and pension funds. The organisation will also have an Academy to provide training, coaching and the exchange of knowledge to (start-up) entrepreneurs in agriculture, horticulture, livestock farming and fisheries. The result will be a sustainable infrastructure that will use strong local initiatives to contribute to innovation, employment and healthy food on every island.

The fund’s organisation will be compact and consist of a managing director and a small team of professionals. The back-office activities will be organised from the head office in the Netherlands. CariFoodFund will have business advisors on the islands who will screen funding applications and maintain contact with customers. A supervisory board will monitor good governance, social impact and the responsible use of resources.

Managing director – a pioneer with vision and entrepreneurial qualities

The managing directormanaging director will be the first person in charge of CariFoodFund and therefore responsible for building up and positioning the organisation. It is a unique opportunity to help shape a fund with significant social impact from the outset.

The challenge:

• Create a clear vision to improve food security on the Caribbean islands.
• Work with the supervisory board in order to create a future-proof organisation.
• Lead the organisation’s development, including the development of policy, process design and staff recruitment. 
• Position the fund as a reliable and inspiring partner for businesses, government bodies and financiers.
• Build up a sustainable network in the Kingdom and represent the fund in its contacts with public and private stakeholders.
• Set up a credit organisation that aligns with the guidelines of local regulators (central banks on the islands) and meets the requirements of future funders/financiers.
• Expand CariFoodFund so that it becomes a revolving fund in collaboration with external financiers such as banks and pension funds.
• Initiate responsible financial management and the launch and roll-out of lending to entrepreneurs.

The ideal candidate:

An enterprising, connecting and results-oriented director with strategic and financial insight and practical commitment. Someone who can switch between policy and implementation and who can lead with conviction in an intercultural context. Your other qualities:

• A natural affinity with the Caribbean islands and the economic and administrative context, with work experience in the Caribbean context being a definite asset.
• An open, connecting leadership style which is aimed at achieving trust and cooperation.
• Experience in fund management and financial services to businesses, for example at a bank or fund.
• Experience with managing professionals and building organisations, preferably within the financial or public sector.
• Familiarity with governance issues and cooperation with public and private partners.
• Excellent networking skills, a strong communicator and capable of building long-term relationships. 
• A university or higher vocational education level of professional and intellectual ability, preferably with a business or financial background.An excellent command of written and spoken Dutch and English.

Supervisory Board – committed supervisory executives with vision and wide-ranging expertise

The Supervisory Board will initially have three members and will oversee the realisation of the fund’s mission, strategic policy, social added value and financial solidity. The Supervisory Board will fulfil three roles. It will supervise, advise and serve as an employer with regard to the managing director. It will also contribute independently, professionally and with commitment to CariFoodFund’s social objective. 

The Supervisory Board will collectively bring together a broad and relevant spectrum of expertise. Supervisory Board members will have expertise in the areas of governance, business operations and entrepreneurship, corporate finance, revolving funds and cooperation with financial institutions, financial reporting, auditing and risk management, as well as knowledge of agriculture, fisheries and agricultural entrepreneurship. This diversity of perspectives will be a guarantee of balanced oversight and valuable advice for the managing director.

The composition of the supervisory board will reflect CariFoodFund’s broad social mission. At least one member will come from, or be employed on, one of the six islands, thereby providing a sound basis in terms of local knowledge and context, and at least one will have a solid financial background, which is essential when it comes to supervising a revolving fund and collaborating with public and private financiers.

The chairperson will fulfil a central and connecting role within the Supervisory Board. They will direct the supervisory process, monitor cooperative interaction among board members and ensure a good balance between supervision, strategy and cooperation. They will have significant experience as an administrator and chairperson, they will be required to maintain contact with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and they will hold monthly progress meetings with the managing director.

The members of the supervisory board will jointly have:

• affinity with the foundation’s mission and areas of activity, such as entrepreneurship, agriculture or fisheries;
• knowledge of social and administrative relationships within the kingdom;
• a relevant network in the business community, the financial sector or public institutions;
• an independent and critical attitude which is also conducive to cooperative interaction among colleagues;
• a willingness to devote time and attention to this start-up organisation.

What we are offering:

The launch of CariFoodFund is a unique opportunity to help build a fund from the ground up that will have a direct social impact on food security in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. As the first managing director or as a member of the supervisory board you will help build an organisation that enhances entrepreneurship, stimulates local production and creates long-term opportunities for the inhabitants of the islands. You will be working in an environment where public value, collaboration and innovation come together.

CariFoodFund has its own terms and conditions of employment and salary scales. The primary gross salary for the managing director is approximately €130,000 per annum. This is linked to the Top Incomes (Standardisation) Act (Wet Normering Topinkomens, WNT) and is dependent on work experience. The remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board will be determined within the applicable guidelines for good governance in the (semi-)public sector, as well as the WNT guidelines.

The full terms and conditions of employment – including the structure of pensions, schemes and expense policies – are currently being worked out and will be finalised when the foundation is formally launched. In addition to offering favourable terms, we are primarily offering candidates the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a new, forward-looking fund that will work to promote healthy and locally produced food.

Information for interested candidates

The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is being advised in this procedure by recruitment and selection agency Colourful People. René Burgler, a partner at Colourful People, would be only too pleased to answer any questions you might have. If you are interested in applying and would like to use your experience as a managing director or supervisory executive for the benefit of this CariFoodFund initiative, please respond as quickly as possible but by no later than 11 January 2026 by sending us a letter of application and a CV via the Colourful People website. If there are enough suitable candidates, we will close the procedure before that date. If you have any questions, please contact René Burgler, senior partner at Colourful People via r.burgler@colourfulpeople.nl or +31 6 28 57 54 36.

In accordance with the Foundations Framework, government officials, civil servants and candidates with a potential conflict of interest are not allowed to serve on the board or supervisory board. External parties who were involved in the preparations are also ineligible.

The selection interviews will take place at the end of January. Our intention is to complete the procedure in January/February.