Petra Hielkema

Petra is the Chairperson of EIOPA and has been leading the Authority since September 2021, following her appointment by the Council on 27 May 2021 after confirmation by the European Parliament on 18 May 2021. 

Petra is also member of the ESRB Steering Committee and the ESRB General Board and a voting member of the IAIS Executive Committee. Besides that she is the Champion of the IAIS Fintech Forum. 

Prior to this role Petra was Division Director of Insurance Supervision at De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, the Dutch Central Bank). Petra joined DNB in February 2007 as a policy advisor, contributing to the development of Solvency II. In 2013 she became Head Insurance Policy and in 2015 she was appointed as Head of the DNB Expert Center for Fit & Proper assessments. In February 2017 Petra started as Director of Payments and Market. Prior to joining the Dutch Central Bank Petra had an international career as a financial advisor to emerging economies.

Prior to being appointed as EIOPA Chairperson Petra was an Alternate Member of the EIOPA Board of Supervisors. She was also the Chair of the EIOPA Policy Committee. Before that she participated in several EIOPA and CEIOPS working groups and fulfilled some international roles including Chair of the FSB fmiCBCM (recovery & resolution for CCPs), member of the BIS Committee for Payments and Market Infrastructures, member of the ECB Market Infrastructures Board, and member of the IAIS Technical Committee.

Petra has a European Masters in Law & Economics and a Masters in Russian Studies. She is married and proud mother of three children.