Woman and Job: Hendrikje Crebolder

Until March 1, she was the Director of Development & Media at the Rijksmuseum. Now it’s time to look to the future and to use her experience to help other women move forward. She does this, for example, as a jury member of the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards (by the way, you can still sign up, just sayin’).

Hendrikje, for 18 years you were connected to the most beautiful museum in the country and now you are suddenly ‘free’. That must not have been a decision made overnight. What made you decide that?

“I have had a more than special time at the Rijksmuseum. From the lead-up to the opening in 2013 to ten years later and the last almost eight years in the management as the first female board member. I am proud of the number of visitors we have been able to reach and the large groups of people we have been able to connect to the museum in one way or another. It has truly become a museum of and for everyone. After a top year with the Vermeer exhibition and the successfully supported project Women of the Rijksmuseum by many other amazing people, it was a good moment for me to spread my wings again.” Chanel I can imagine that you reach a point in your life where you also want to have had another big job. Is there something you dream of cautiously or do you let life take the lead?”

“I am lucky that I have already had a varied career with ten years as a lawyer at Baker McKenzie, where I worked not only in Amsterdam but also in

“other places. After that, I had various roles at the Rijksmuseum. I still find it beautiful to contribute to various goals for the future, such as in my board role at the European Nomadic Biennale Manifesta, the Leiden University Fund, and as a member of the Supervisory Board at Vlisco (a Dutch-based African fabric company that has existed since 1846). Due to my African birthplace, those iconic colors and prints are truly a part of my memories, and I think it’s amazing that I can now contribute my thoughts on that.” Madrid and Paris You are a jury member of the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award. What will you pay attention to as a jury member?”

“One of my driving forces is the position of women and increasing its visibility. It’s wonderful if the candidates, inspired by Mrs. Nicole-Barbe Clicquot, can also be role models for others.”

“People can still sign up, what do you need to meet to participate and have a chance?”

“Being a bold entrepreneur, being determined, having perseverance, and having the potential to be a role model.”

“This column aims to inspire young women in finding a job. Even if you are currently in between jobs, I am very curious about what your working life looked like. How many hours did you work per week?”

“Continuously, because if you are co-managing a museum where nearly a thousand people work and that has more than two and a half million visitors, you can never not be on.”

“I always had a certain drive. Both the work as a lawyer and the work at the museum I did with all my heart. What I find beautiful is that you can keep discovering and developing yourself.”

Did you imagine as a little girl that this would be your profession?

“I studied law with great pleasure and would do it again in a heartbeat. I really love the law and what you can achieve with it in society. You also see that with that study (which gives you a certain way of thinking) you can do other things as well. It means that the privilege of following an education gives you a good foundation and that you can further develop yourself from there. Furthermore, I jokingly say that my touch typing course was the best thing I ever did because you really use that knowledge every day.”

What education have you followed and did you benefit from it?

“Have even more self-confidence and don’t doubt yourself too much, because that won’t get you anywhere.”

What advice would you give your younger self?

“With a job like the one you had, you can’t really speak of an average day. But take one that is reasonably representative and tell how it looked.”

“A day full of appointments with colleagues and external people about ongoing matters and projects, such as exhibitions, the previously mentioned Women of the Rijksmuseum project, digital policy, publications, the shop, visitor numbers, planned or to be planned events, involving the right people, etc. Furthermore, signing a new sponsorship agreement, giving a welcome speech at a symposium in the Rijksmuseum, and in the evening an event for benefactors who contribute to a specific project.”.

“When you are so intensely involved with your work, it automatically becomes part of your private life in various ways, such as taking your children to the museum.”

Are you the type that separates work and private life or does everything flow together?

“Always reachable.”

Always reachable or type ’two phones and Monday you're the first’?

“Preferably a linen blue suit with pockets for my phone, work pass, and lipstick. Furthermore, I like to wear sneakers and of course heels to an event.”

What do you wear on a workday?

“Not really, but still businesslike and yet also personal. There was (still) no Rijks scent, so I had my own perfume.”

Do you think about perfume and hairstyle? I can imagine that you occasionally want to make a strong statement with your look.

“We know it’s true: talking about money is not chic, but it’s nice for the next generation to know what it’s roughly like, this work. Can you give a rough indication of the segment you are in? Are we above or below the Balkenendenorm?”

“I indeed want to say nothing about that. I will say that the step from law to the museum sector does not lead to an increase in your salary.”

“And another point of attention: being a woman. Have you experienced a glass ceiling? The idea that you had to prove yourself more?”

“I think that every person who does not meet a certain standard norm, under which women sometimes have to push even harder, but I have not let this affect me much, although I do know that we are still far from there and that we must continue to push for equality and balanced representation of women in all areas, from art to the workplace, in various ways.”

“Has there been a moment in your career that has been decisive for your career? Something you were quite proud of in hindsight?”

“When my (male) boss asked in my first year as a lawyer if I knew any male colleagues who would do a due diligence (a risk assessment) for a takeover of an energy company in Kazakhstan, I said I would. A few days later, I found myself in Northeast Kazakhstan, Ust-Kamenogorsk. A super challenging environment, but an invaluable experience.”

“Until March 1, she was the Director of Development & Media at the Rijksmuseum. Now it’s time to look to the future and to her…”