Background
Bernhard Ensink grew up in Laar, Grafschaft Bentheim, Germany, where his German parents ran a farm.
director politician theologian
Bernhard Ensink grew up in Laar, Grafschaft Bentheim, Germany, where his German parents ran a farm.
After graduating at the Gymnasium Nordhorn, he studied theology in Bethel/Bielefeld, Münster and Kampen.
He has been the Secretary General of the European Cyclists" Federation (ECF) since May 2006. He obtained his master’s degree in 1985. The focus of his master thesis was on ‘time" in the works of the German Theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg.
Additionally, he took courses for a diploma to teach German language at Dutch schools.
From 1992 to 1994 he passed courses for human resource management, business administration and marketing for non-governmental organisations. Bernhard Ensink currently lives in Coevorden, Drenthe.
From 1980 to 1987, Bernhard Ensink taught German language and religions at secondary schools in the Netherlands. In 1987, he returned to the Theologische Universiteit Kampen to give lectures on the History of Theology and to do research.
His Doctor of Philosophy-thesis was on the relationship between ‘Ethics and Theology’, analyzing the works of Joseph Butler.
He received his doctorate in 1995. His promoter was Professor Doctor Gerrit Manenschijn.
He was deputy mayor of Coevorden until 1998, when that city merged with four other municipalities to the new municipality Coevorden.
In 1998, he was the director ad interim of the regional environmental non-governmental organisation Milieufederatie Groningen for half a year. In November of that year, Ensink was appointed director of the Dutch Fietsersbond (Cyclists’ Union).
He was the Chief Executive Officer of this non-governmental organisation for more than 7 years. He is currently the leader of the Public Affairs Committee fraction and the second deputy of the chair of the council.
In May 2006, Bernhard Ensink was appointed by the board of the international non-governmental organization European Cyclists" Federation (ECF) to Secretary General and Velo-city Series Director.
Ensink’s tasks were to build up an office again in Brussels and to work in close co-operation with ECF President Manfred Neun on the further development of the Velo-city Conference Series.
In 1990, he was elected a member of the city council of Coevorden for the local political party Public Affairs Committee (Progressief Accoord Coevorden) for the first time.
After he had left the city council of Coevorden in 1999 Bernhard Ensink was elected as a member of the city council again in 2006 and 2010. Additionally, he is a member of the ‘Governance committee’ of the Dutch association of municipalities VNG (Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten).
