Sophie Poldermans is the founder of “Sophie’s Women of War,” shedding light on the role of women in conflict. In addition, she is a Dutch women’s rights advocate, author, public speaker, lecturer and consultant on women and war, human and women’s rights-related issues and women’s leadership. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches, a global mindset and design-thinking and innovation are key ingredients.
She has degrees in Dutch and International Human Rights and International Criminal Law (University of Amsterdam); Peace and Conflict Studies (UC Berkeley, USA); Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC, Venice, Italy; Vienna, Austria) and Women’s Leadership (Executive Education, Yale School of Management, USA). She has work experience as a lecturer in Conflict Resolution and International Human Rights and Criminal Law and as an International Coordinator in Amsterdam; Guest lecturer in Madrid, Oslo, and virtually in Fukuoka; Board member of National Hannie Schaft Foundation and Board member of the Dutch Human Rights League.
She is the author of the New York Post & Amazon best seller “Seducing and Killing Nazis. Hannie, Truus and Freddie: Dutch Resistance Heroines of WWII,” USA, 2019. She personally knew Truus and Freddie Oversteegen from this book for 20 years and worked closely with them for over a decade as a board member of the National Hannie Schaft Foundation. Earlier, she published “Hannie Schaft. Haar rol in het Nederlandse verzet tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog,” the Netherlands, 2003.