NETHERLANDS – Frans Prins, public affairs director at health care scheme PGGM, has been appointed as the new director of the Dutch company pension fund association OPF.

Prins, 49, will start on 1 March 2006. He replaces Jeroen Steenvoorden, who became managing director of the €4.6bn medical specialist pension fund SPMS at the start of the year.

Prins has been at PGGM since 2003, and no replacement for his position has yet been named. A PGGM spokesperson told IPE that it is currently looking both internally and externally, however.

“The board is delighted to welcome Frans Prins,” said OPF chairman Loek Sibbing.

“Given the extensive knowledge and experience acquired by Frans Prins in his current and previous posts, we can be confident of continuing to promote the interests of company pension funds with our customary expertise.”

Steenvoorden, 44, replaced former SPMS MD Gerard Krijnen, who is taking early retirement for health reasons.

After an initial handover period, Krijnen will retire in March, but will continue to support Steenvoorden in an advisory capacity.

In other news, Hewitt senior client manager and research team member Rene den Hertog joined Aon Consulting as a pensions consultant at the start of January.

Den Hertog, 37, had been at Hewitt for six years. According to a Hewitt spokesperson: “He was ready for a new challenge.”

Roland de Greef, who is head of pension legal services at Hewitt, will replace den Hertog.