Neeltje Kielen has a Master of Agriculture, Natural Environment and Soil & Water Conservation from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Since her graduation in 1995 she held a variety of positions in governmental and international organizations, both in Europe and South Asia. Main thread through her career is work on complex issues in the field of water and delta management in the context of climate change. Since March 2023 she is the Representative Water Affairs for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh working, amongst others, on support to the implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Program 2100.