Nick Thijs

Nick Thijs is a Senior Policy Adviser at OECD/SIGMA Programme, recognized widely for his deep expertise in public administration reform with a focus on human-centric service delivery, digital government and organizational development including the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

With more than 20 years of experience spanning academia, consultancy, and civil service, Nick is known for his extensive knowledge, exceptional networking skills, and unwavering passion for driving meaningful reforms in public sector governance.

In his current role at OECD/SIGMA Programme, Nick is leading the efforts to improve public administration, service delivery and digital government in the European Eastern Partnership countries, the Western Balkans and Turkyie and European Southern Neighbourhood. He works closely with governments to strengthen their institutional capacities, fostering transparent, efficient, and accountable governance systems. His work not only supports national-level reforms but also plays a critical role in aligning public administrations with broader European integration efforts.

Nick began his professional journey at the Public Governance Institute (K.U.Leuven – Belgium), where he was instrumental in advancing research and training in quality management and organizational development. He later coordinated the Public Management Programme for high-potential civil servants in Belgium. For a decade he served as a Senior Lecturer at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA). From this position he developed a vast portfolio in supporting the European Commission in its efforts to built knowledge and capacity in the area of public administration (reform). Most known are his contribution -as project leader- to the “EUPACK” (European Public Administration Country Knowledge) project, a large-scale comparative public administration project covering all EU countries related to public administration characteristics and reforms and the “Toolbox on quality of public administration”. Moreover he made significant contributions to the European CAF Resource Centre, the updating and dissemination of the CAF and represented EIPA in key international networks.

Nick holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from K.U.Leuven and is fluent in English, Dutch, and French. His commitment to excellence, combined with his approachable and collaborative nature, makes him a highly respected figure in the global public administration community.