‘Creativity is for hairdressers’ by Victor van der Chijs

Victor van der Chijs is Managing Director and Partner of OMA. He joined the firm in 2005 with a mission to make OMA the most inventive creative company in the world. Under the direction of Van der Chijs, OMA has tripled in size, to a staff of over 280 architects, theorists and designers in offices on three continents with projects in over 30 countries worldwide.

OMA’s work encompasses architecture and design, urbanism, cultural analysis, and advisory in media, politics, sociology, technology, fashion, curating, publishing, product design, branding, arts consultancy and graphic design. In 2007, Van der Chijs was personally recognised for his success in expanding OMA’s business abroad with the ABN AMRO Jan Huygen van Linschoten Award for business excellence.

Before joining OMA, Van der Chijs held management positions in Schiphol Group and ING. He has worked in a number of different countries, including China and the United States. Van der Chijs holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Amsterdam, and has followed extensive post-graduate education at the Amsterdam School of International Relations and at INSEAD, France.

Van der Chijs’ particular specialism is turning creativity into commercially viable propositions. Currently focused on the broader creative culture in the Netherlands, he is amongst others a member of the Supervisory Board of Kennisland (‘Knowledgeland’), an independent think tank that aims to strengthen the Dutch cultural, intellectual and economic spheres. Early 2011, the Dutch government appointed Van der Chijs to lead a ‘top team’ charged with exploring ways of stimulating innovation and creative entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. The team’s recommendations help indigenous creative practices to mature and better benefit from growing world trade.