Bé Udink

Berend Jan "Bé" Udink (12 February 1926 – 24 May 2016) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Historical Union (CHU) and businessman.

Udink also applied at the University of Lausanne in August 1946 for a Class in Financial economics obtaining a Bachelor of Accountancy degree in September 1947.

After the 1967 general election Udink was appointed as Minister for Aid to Developing Countries in the De Jong cabinet, taking office on 5 April 1967.

In December 1977 Udink was nominated as chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of the board of directors of OGEM working from 1 January 1978 until 1 March 1980.

Udink remained active in the private sector and public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Zilveren Kruis, Transnational Institute, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Energy Research Centre, IKEA Foundation and Terre des hommes) and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government (Public Pension Funds APB, Staatsbosbeheer, Raad voor Cultuur, Cadastre Agency and the Advisory Council for Spatial Planning) and served as a diplomat and lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government.

From 1973 until 1978 he was member of the Board of Directors of the Overzeese Gas- en Elektriciteitsmaatschappij N.V. (as Dutch gas and electricity company) and from 1978 till 1980 he served as its president.