Jan Wester is an independent board-level strategist with extensive experience in developing and managing complex multi-stakeholder projects. He has held various management positions across public and private organizations, beginning his career at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, where he focused on digital transformation and virtual worlds in relation to urban development.

In 2008, Mr. Wester was appointed principal strategist at TNO, the national applied research institute, where he specialized in regional innovation ecosystems and smart cities. His work has contributed significantly to the advancement of digital and urban innovation in the Netherlands and beyond.

Recently, Mr. Wester became director of the LDT CitiVERSE EDIC. In this role, he leads efforts to bridge the gap between Horizon research and operationalization in daily processes, aiming to realize digital sovereignty and develop a common European infrastructure for interoperable data platforms, with a focus on AI, virtual worlds, and smart communities.