Meet the Alumni Relations team

Lida Dimitriou
Team Lead Alumni Relations

A Rotterdammer by choice, Lida joined the alumni relations team in 2023. Prior to that, she worked at the business school of Erasmus University managing various aspects of MBA programmes. Having worked in the UK and Greece before moving to the Netherlands in 2018, Lida has experience in the fields of leadership development, business education, consultative sales, and communications in international settings, including the U.S. State Department. Lida moved to the Netherlands inspired by the country's appreciation for openness, hard work, risk-taking and diversity. In her free time, she likes attending modern dance performances; working out by the Maas; or cooking simple Greek recipes for her friends –  the secret is in the olive oil!

 Connect with Lida on LinkedIn 

Bharat Kumaraswami
Database Manager

Bharat was born and raised in the south of India, where his interest in digital systems sparked him to study IT engineering. After his studies, he pursued a career in multiple industries, including Sales, Management and Database Management. He moved to the Netherlands for his Masters in Business Administration at RSM, and ended up working for the business school. Since 2018 he has been managing, analysing and reporting on alumni data whilst using his IT skills to boost efficiency - first for RSM, now for both RSM and EUR. In the team, Bharat is best know for his trips to Has. He will never miss out on a chance to get a kapsalon.

Connect with Bharat on LinkedIn

Bonita Qaiser
Alumni Relations Officer

Prior to her role in the Erasmus Alumni Relations Team, Bonita worked for the scale-up HousingAnywhere where she was a Promotion Coordinator and Relations Manager. She has an MA in International Relations from Utrecht University, has experience working with volunteers and as a communication specialist in an NGO and brings her passion for people to the team. Bonita is project lead for various projects, including Lifelong Learning and Student Engagement, which includes a mentoring initiative. Bonita absolutely loves nature and animals and has recently adopted a dog from the shelter!

Connect with Bonita on LinkedIn

Dogukan Demirbuken
Student Assistant

Dogukan is currently a second-year BSc Public Administration student. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he plans to pursue a master’s in a related field at the same university. Last year, he was actively involved at Erasmus University as a program committee member and served as a board member for Student Association Mozaik. This year, he has taken on the role of student assistant in the Alumni Relations Team, while continuing his board membership at Mozaik. In his position with the Alumni Relations Team, Dogukan helps organize events and manage communications. In his free time, Dogukan enjoys playing various sports and socializing with friends. He also loves to travel and frequently goes on trips with both friends and family. 

Connect with Dogukan on LinkedIn

Han Hu
Alumni data analytics and research officer

Han has already had quite the academic career; she studied Journalism at the Shanxi University, a Master's in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics in Bejing and she is completing a PhD in Sociolinguistics at Leiden University in 2022. She feels at home in Rotterdam, where she worked for the municipality and two foundations (Nieuw Thuis Rotterdam, De Verre Bergen). The knowledge she gained about analysing large datasets is very useful for her role at EUR, where she is reponsible for managing the alumni data and researching, analysing and enriching alumni's details. When Han takes a break from online meetings, she likes to take a tour of her 50 (!) house plants. Studying leaves under a magnifying glass is her go-to moment of zen.

Connect with Han on LinkedIn

Kim Elferink
Alumni Relations Coordinator

Kim joined the Erasmus Alumni Relations Team in 2021. After she had completed her MSc Applied Communication Science at the Wageningen University and Research Centre she worked for Omnicon PR Group and took care of the communication needs of various famous consumer brands. After this job, she desired adventure: she travelled around the world for over half a year, passing through Mongolia and China, Indonesia and Australia, to pass through New-Zealand and end up on Fiji. And now? Now she is building communities with alumni, supporting and organising events and she is responsible for various fundraising activities and other projects of the Erasmus Alumni Relations team. In her spare time, Kim likes to be active: both with paintbrushes on a canvas as with her stick on the field hockey pitch.

Connect with Kim on LinkedIn

Olga Molinier
Student Assistant

Olga, originally from France, is currently finishing up her Masters of International Management / CEMS at RSM where she is writing her thesis on entrepreneurship and neurodiversity. After having graduated from her bachelor's in International Business Administration, she was eager to discover the world and went on a year-long journey through South-East Asia and South America. Once back, Olga thought it was the right time to return to her beloved Rotterdam to end her studies as they had begun. Olga has already worked for 3 startups in marketing, customer relations and community management and is very much interested in impact-driven entrepreneurship. As part of the EUR Alumni Relations Team, she assists the team in various projects such as the communication strategy and the Charity Run. Olga is always ready to go on a (spontaneous) adventure, have a (strong) beer and dance the night away!  

Connect with Olga on LinkedIn

Simone Pouw 
Alumni Communications Manager  

Simone (she/her) gained valuable experience having worked at an agency and a platform startup/scale-up, giving her experience in digital marketing, project management, and community engagement, providing her with a solid foundation to effectively engage with a diverse and global alumni network. This background has equipped her to handle the dynamic and interactive needs of the alumni community, supporting the university's initiatives to keep former students connected and informed, now and in the future. Simone is always up for a chat about music recommendations, travel inspiration, and where to find the best coffee. 

Connect with Simone on LinkedIn

Vanessa Temminck
Events Manager

The affinity with organising events surfaced for Vanessa after her education in tourism, where organising travels and events started to merge. She definitely chose for the latter and gained a lot of experience for international organisations like Europol, before ending up in higher education. Now, she is full-time event manager in the Erasmus Alumni Relations Team. She organises and coordinates in-person, online and hybrid events in collaboration with her teammates. When she's not working, you can find her in the fresh mountain air, whether on her snowboard or in the Scandinavian mountains.

Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn

Wahid Ben Khalfa
Student Assistant

Wahid is a current MSc Finance and Investments student and a recent International Business Administration graduate, who joined the Erasmus Alumni Relations team as a student assistant on the data side. He helps the team organize the databases, as well as help with business intelligence reporting. He also enjoys the world of consulting, serving on the board of 180 Degrees Consulting, as well as venturing into this field professionally. When not working or studying, Wahid likes to go on walks, watch movies and listen to music, a lot of music. A pianist since the age of 6, his genres of interest vary a lot, so you will always be able to have a long conversation about new and old tunes. 

Connect with Wahid on LinkedIn