Anneke commenced her career in The Netherlands as a High School teacher.  After travelling overland through the Middle East and Asia she settled in Australia where she obtained an Honours degree in Economic History from The University of Sydney, having been awarded Best Woman Candidate in Economic History III. 

Following four years as Trade Consultant and then as Director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Sydney and Melbourne, she embarked upon her own research company which she ran successfully during the next two decades.  Her clients included the Governments of Australia, the United States and The Netherlands, multinational companies, investment banks, insurance companies and stockbroking firms.  She produced industry research reports on a wide variety of subjects, some of which are still regarded as the critical guide to her clients’ decision makers.

She was headhunted for the position of Research Manager with the Australian Industry Development Corporation (a Government-owned venture capital company) during the mid-1980s.  In 1999 she escaped to the country and took charge of research development, academic consulting and research commercialisation at the University of New England in Armidale.

She was the Founding Convenor of the Australasian Research Management Society for New South Wales, a Board Member of the Australian-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, a Member of the Australian Business Foundation and of the Australian Institute of Export and of Knowledge Commercialisation Australia.

After completing a PhD at the University of New England, Australia, she was retained as an Adjunct Research Fellow and is busy publishing.  She recently obtained a research grant from the Australian Army History Unit of the Department of Defence.  Her particular research interests are historical developments leading to innovation in the businesses comprising defence industries.