Menno Snel will join the board of the €456bn Dutch civil service scheme ABP. Snel, who worked as a director of strategy and policy for ABP’s asset manager APG between 2009 and 2011, was forced to step down from his duties as deputy finance minister in December 2019 following a series of scandals at the tax office over child benefit payments.

Snel will start in his new role on 1 September and will join ABP’s board to represent the interests of the employers succeeding Carel van Eykelenburg. He was nominated by the government.

Between 2017 and 2019, Snel was deputy minister at the Ministry of Finance, responsible for the tax service which was left reeling by a series of scandals before and during his tenure.

Snel stepped down last year after it turned out the tax office had incorrectly ordered hundreds of parents to pay back childcare fees, resulting in personal bankruptcy for a number of these parents.

ABP considers Snel’s unsuccessful spell as deputy finance minister no obstacle to nominate him as a board member, a spokesperson said. “ABP has considered the sum of Mr Snel’s relevant knowledge and experience as a great combination in a strong CV. He is complementary to other board members and thereby a good addition to the board.”

ABP president Corien Wortmann welcomed Snel’s appointment. “He brings a wealth of managerial experience in the public and financial sector and has a lot of expertise in how to run large executive organisations,” she said in a press release.

Snel himself said he is excited to join ABP at a time of great change for the Dutch pension system.

“I have followed the developments in our pension system with great interest. In these exciting and decisive times during which a new pensions system is being designed, I would like to contribute to reaching ABP’s goals: a good and sustainable pension for now and in the future.”

Before joining the Dutch Cabinet in 2017, Snel worked as the representative for the Netherlands at the International Monetary Fund in Washington. he started his career at the Dutch ministry of Finance, where he worked as deputy director-general for Fiscal Affairs.

He is also a non-executive board member at shipbuilder Royal IHC. He joined the board in June, after IHC had received a bail-out from the Dutch government to save it from bankruptcy.

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