Martien Kuitenbrouwer

Martien Kuitenbrouwer is Director and co-founder of Public Mediation. In her work, Martien focuses primarily on how conflict dynamics evolve in societal disputes and on the types of interventions that can help break those dynamics. She does not shy away from confrontation and is prepared to challenge and push processes forward where necessary. 

She combines her work as a mediator in practice with her role as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Amsterdam. Martien’s point of departure is that societal conflicts are an inherent part of public life and that consensus is not always the ultimate goal. Constructive conflict, by contrast, helps those involved learn together how to better deal with complex societal challenges.

Martien was trained as a historian, public administration economist, and mediator. In addition to her experience as a public mediator and academic researcher, she has more than 30 years of experience in public administration as an adviser, civil servant, and public executive. This combination gives her a strong understanding of both the more abstract complexity of societal issues and the practical opportunities and obstacles involved in collaboration between different stakeholders.