Jaap Veerman is the senior Netherlands government representative in South India responsible for
relations with the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He leads a
team, which works to promote the Netherlands -India trade and investment, support Dutch nationals, conduct public diplomacy on key issues, and build scientific and research co-operation.

Jaap is a national of the Netherlands. He is an internationally experienced diplomat specializing in
economic diplomacy, business development, change and project management. Jaap has broad
knowledge and experience in the field of water management, agriculture, horticulture, life sciences
and health, infrastructure and logistics. He completed his master’s degree in social economic
history at Amsterdam University and has a bachelor’s degree in education, which started his career
as a geography teacher at a Dutch High School in Hoorn, the Netherlands.

For the past 30 years he has held various positions at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
most recently as the Consul General in Atlanta, The United States of America. He has also worked as
Dutch representative to the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines. He worked as a Sr. Policy
Advisor at the Dutch Embassy in Paramaribo (Surinam), was the Dutch Deputy Consul General in Los
Angeles and San Francisco, Deputy Ambassador at the Dutch Embassy in Mexico City and Director
of the Documentary Information Systems Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Jaap was born in Volendam, the Netherlands. His partner, Petra, accompanied him to Atlanta. Petra
and Jaap have two kids, Sandra and Thomas, both studying in the Netherlands. In their spare time
they love to travel, visit museums and galleries. They both are passionate collectors of Chinese
antique porcelain and Dutch Design. To keep in shape they walk, hike, swim and regularly visit the
gym.