Franka is a midwife and expert in sexual and reproductive health and rights with over 30 years of experience in strategy and policy development, advocacy, research, leadership, and management. Franka’s six-year tenure as the President of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), came to an end in June 2023. As President, Franka advocated for strengthening midwifery leadership, regulation, and education globally and to close the current global gap of 900,000 midwives. The importance of this agenda is underlined by new data showing that progress on reducing maternal mortality has stalled. Each year, almost 300,000 women and 2.4 million newborns die during or following pregnancy. Most deaths happen in poor and fragile settings, and the majority can be prevented if the women received quality care from a skilled midwife.

At Maternity Foundation, Franka will be key in supporting Maternity Foundation continued growth in scaling up the Safe Delivery Programme across low- and middle-income countries. To date, Maternity Foundation has reached more than 375,000 healthcare workers through its innovative training programmes and evidence-based digital health solutions, including the Safe Delivery App, strengthening midwifery skills and knowledge in low resource settings. Current momentum provides ample opportunity to scale further through strong national partners, associations, and individual champions.

Franka sits in several international boards, is a well-versed public speaker and sexual and reproductive justice advocate. Previously she worked for multiple organisations including the Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives (KNOV). She has a background as a midwife as well as a PhD in Organisational Anthropology from Maastricht University School for Public health & Primary Care.