Waag Futurelab is pleased to announce the appointment of Sander van der Waal as Strategy Director.
Sander van der Waal has been working at Waag since 2019 and has held the post of Research Director since 2022. During this time, Sander has helped to significantly strengthen Waag’s position within the European ecosystem dedicated to digital sovereignty and public technology. In his new role as Strategy Director, Sander will develop strategic programmes that translate Waag’s research into sustainable change. This may take the form of new policies, interventions in the public debate, or the development of products and components of the public digital infrastructure centred on key technologies such as AI and the Open Social Web.
In addition, Sander will focus on further shaping Waag’s position within the European landscape, building coalitions and partnerships, and developing the strategic positioning of Waag’s research agenda for the organisation and its partners.
“For more than thirty years, Waag Futurelab has worked on issues of digital autonomy and public technology. These are issues that Europe need to resolve urgently. In my role as Strategy Director I make sure that Waag is part of these important developments and participates in key coalitions and contributions to policies that realise the much-needed change. This ensures that the results of Waag’s research contribute to a more just society. ” — Sander van der Waal, Strategy Director
“Sander has been instrumental in building Waag’s position in Europe,” says Marleen Stikker, Director of Waag. “His international experience and his broad understanding of the social and political dimensions of technological culture are exceptional. At a moment when European digital sovereignty has never been more important, having Sander in this role is exactly right."
