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Drs. Mark Rutte

Prime Minister, Minister of General Affairs.

Drs. Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet.

On his graduation in 1992, Mark Rutte joined Unilever, where he worked as a human resources manager and was responsible for staff training. Mr Rutte was also in charge of several reorganisations.

In 1997 Mr Rutte became personnel manager of Van den Bergh Nederland (Calvé), part of Unilever, where he also worked on a reorganisation. In 2002 he was appointed director of human resources at the IGLOMora Group BV, a Unilever subsidiary.

From 22 July 2002 to 17 June 2004 Mr Rutte was State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the first and second Balkenende governments. He was State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the second Balkenende government from 17 June 2004 to 7 July 2006.

From 30 January 2003 to 27 May 2003, Mr. Rutte was a member of the House of Representatives for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). From 29 June 2006 he was the leader of the parliamentary party.

He was national chair of the JOVD, the youth organisation of the VVD, from 1988 to 1991, and a member of the VVD party executive from 1993 to 1997. He led the VVD campaign for the March 2006 municipal elections. On 31 May 2006, he was elected political leader of the party.

From September 2008, he worked as a guest teacher at the Johan de Witt Varias College for pre-vocational secondary education in The Hague, teaching Dutch and social studies.*

*Still to be confirmed.