The Board of the Netherlands Court of Audit resolved on 23 September 2025 to appoint Mark Smolenaars as Acting Secretary-General with effect from 15 October 2025. Mr Smolenaars will succeed Cornelis van der Werf, who is leaving the Court of Audit on 15 November 2025. He will remain in this role until a permanent successor is appointed.
The Court of Audit is the responsibility of the Board, which is currently made up of Pieter Duisenberg (President), Ewout Irrgang (Board member) and Barbara Joziasse (Board member). The Secretary-General is the Court of Audit’s most senior civil servant and has overall responsibility for staff.
Mark Smolenaars has been appointed on an interim basis until at least mid-2026. His focus during this period will be on scheduling relevant audits, on the Court of Audit’s added value for the new House of Representatives and new government, and on staff welfare. He has worked for the Court of Audit in various roles since 2000, including as an Audit Director from 2017 and also Deputy Secretary-General from 2021. He will be succeeded as Deputy Secretary-General by Joost van Hofwegen, who is also Audit Director of the Finance and Institutional Directorate.