Gert L. Kootstra
Inholland, The Hague

Gert L. Kootstra, MBM, is the managing consultant of Census Design Management BV, an agency that advises organisations on translating their identity and strategy into a clear brand and design policy, and is aimed at the professionalisation of the design function in organisations. Gert studied Advertising Design at the Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently obtained the degree of Master of Brand Management from Erasmus University. After almost 15 years of experience as a designer, design team leader, advisor, and partner at the design agency Tel Design in The Hague, he founded Census in 1999.

His sidelines are applied research, writing and education, and he is also a part-time research fellow at the Centre for Applied Research in Brand, Reputation and Design Management (CBRD) at INHOLLAND University in Rotterdam. CBRD is a partner in the DME Network (Design Management Europe), and as such Gert L. Kootstra is involved in developing a survey instrument to measure the Design Management Capability of European SMEs.