Pleased to meet you! My name is Bert Kamphuis. My wife and I live in Sittard, which also happens to be my birthplace. I grew up and went to school in Geleen, Australia, Zutphen and Weert and studied English Language & Literature in Nijmegen.

Until January 2025 I worked as a senior policy advisor for international affairs at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences (Zuyd Hogeschool). During my career in higher education, I was originally a lecturer of Business English and coordinated the international student exchange programmes for students and staff. Eventually, I became a senior policy advisor for international affairs for the Executive Board and the academies. My responsibilities at Zuyd included the attraction, inclusion and retention of international students in our Euregion (e.g. in the Welcome to Maastricht Region programme).

Besides this, I was involved in local politics as a member of the Sittard-Geleen city council and served as an alderman in the Chief Executive of the municipality for four years (2014-2018). My responsibilities as an alderman included Euregional and international cooperation, mobility, education, diversity and integration.

On 1 January 2025 I decided to retire early and I immediately started looking for new interesting activities. In my search I came across the Buddy System in Sittard-Geleen, which seems to be a perfect opportunity to apply my international experience and expertise to contribute to the inclusion and well-being of expats and internationals in our city and region.

I enjoy listening to music, visiting concerts and cultural events, eating out with friends, city trips and travelling. I also play tennis.

For more information, you can check my LinkedIn profile.