Heleen Bakker is currently the Director-General for European Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, a position she has held since 2024. Prior to this, she served as Director for European and International Affairs at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (2020–2024). Earlier in her career, she was Deputy Head of Mission and Head of the Political Department at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Washington D.C. and held senior roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Head of the EU External Policy Division and Speechwriter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration, specializing in International Relations, from the University of Twente.