AMSTERDAM – Bianca Groen Gallant will assume office on March 15 as the new Managing Director of the Nationaal Instituut Nederlands Slavernijverleden en Erfenis (NiNsee). The appointment was announced during a joint New Year’s reception organized by the Nationaal Slavernijmuseum, the Herdenkingscomité Slavernijverleden and NiNsee.
Groen Gallant succeeds Urwin C. Vyent. With her appointment, NiNsee will, for the first time in its history, be led by a woman. According to the institute, her selection followed a thorough recruitment and selection process that resulted convincingly in her nomination.
The announcement took place during the joint reception held in the context of Black History Month. The gathering also highlighted the growing collaboration between the three national institutions, which previously signed a memorandum of understanding to intensify cooperation around the history of slavery in the Netherlands, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and Suriname.
Speakers at the event looked ahead to 2026 as a year in which further steps will be taken in research, commemoration and public dialogue. On behalf of NiNsee, a renewed direction was outlined, emphasizing a sharper and more self-aware tone focused on pride, resilience and shared responsibility.
Founded in 2002, NiNsee plays a central role in research, education and commemoration related to the Dutch transatlantic slavery past. With Groen Gallant’s appointment, the institute enters what is described as a new phase, with strengthened cooperation within the Kingdom and with Suriname expected to play a key role in its future activities.