Gerrit Zalm
Gerrit Zalm | |
---|---|
Minister of Economic Affairs | |
In office 3 July 2006 – 7 July 2006 Acting | |
Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
Preceded by | Laurens Jan Brinkhorst |
Succeeded by | Joop Wijn |
Deputy Prime Minister | |
In office 27 May 2003 – 22 February 2007 | |
Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
Preceded by | Johan Remkes Roelf de Boer |
Succeeded by | Wouter Bos André Rouvoet |
Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives | |
In office 23 May 2002 – 27 May 2003 | |
Preceded by | Hans Dijkstal |
Succeeded by | Jozias van Aartsen |
Parliamentary group | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
In office 16 May 2002 – 27 November 2004 | |
Deputy | See list
|
Preceded by | Minister of Finance |
In office 27 May 2003 – 22 February 2007 | |
Prime Minister | Jan Peter Balkenende |
Preceded by | Hans Hoogervorst |
Succeeded by | Wouter Bos |
In office 26 June 1996 – 22 July 2002 | |
Prime Minister | Wim Kok |
Preceded by | Hans Wijers (Ad interim) |
Succeeded by | Hans Hoogervorst |
In office 22 August 1994 – 4 June 1996 | |
Prime Minister | Wim Kok |
Preceded by | Wim Kok |
Succeeded by | Hans Wijers (Ad interim) |
Director of the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis | |
In office 1 January 1989 – 22 August 1994 | |
Preceded by | Peter de Ridder |
Succeeded by | Henk Don |
Personal details | |
Born | Gerrit Zalm 6 May 1952 Enkhuizen, Netherlands |
Political party | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (from 1982) |
Other political affiliations | Labour Party (1971–1981) |
Spouses | First wife
(m. 1971; div. 1978)Lydia Brouwer (m. 1982) |
Children | 3 sons and 2 daughters |
Relatives | Pier Gerlofs Donia (relative) |
Residence(s) | The Hague, Netherlands |
Alma mater | Free University Amsterdam (BEc, M.Econ) |
Occupation | Politician · Civil servant · Economist · Businessperson · Banker · Corporate director · Nonprofit director · Author · Professor |
Gerrit Zalm (born 6 May 1952) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessman.[1][2][3]
Zalm studied
Zalm retired from active politics at 54 and became active in the private sector as a corporate director, and worked as a banker for the DSB Bank, Fortis Bank and ABN AMRO from July 2007 until February 2017. Following his retirement Zalm became active in the public sector as a non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government, and worked as a occasional mediator for coalition agreements. Zalm is known for his abilities as a skillful manager and effective debater and as of 2024 continues to comment on political affairs. He holds the distinction as the longest-serving Minister of Finance with 11 years, 240 days in Dutch history.[4][5][6]
Biography
Early life
Gerrit Zalm was born on 6 May 1952 in
Politics
Between 22 August 1994 and 22 July 2002, Zalm, member of the
Banking
On 26 November 2006, Zalm announced in the Sunday morning talk show Buitenhof that he would step down from politics and would probably seek employment in the private sector. Three months after his 2007 retirement from politics, Zalm went to work for DSB Bank, a company that he had criticized in his earlier role as finance minister for what he considered misleading advertising for consumer credit. He initially held the position of chief economist, but quickly became CFO of the faltering bank after the Dutch central bank DNB had threatened to curtail DSB's financial autonomy.
On 21 November 2008 it was announced by Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende that Zalm will be the new CEO of the bank resulting from the merger of ABN and Fortis Netherlands, two recently nationalized banks. This new position came under scrutiny after Zalm's previous employer DSB went bankrupt in 2009. The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and the central bank both investigated Zalm's role in DSB's final years, with AFM concluding that he was "not competent" and should be dismissed from ABN AMRO's board, while DNB decided to keep Zalm in his position.
Personal
Zalm is a fan of the game of
Decorations
Honours | ||||
Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Knight Commander of the Order of Merit | Germany | 21 March 1996 | ||
Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II | Belgium | 24 December 1999 | ||
Grand Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown | Luxembourg | 10 December 2003 | ||
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit | Italy | 15 September 2005 | ||
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour | France | 8 May 2006 | ||
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 11 April 2007 | Elevated from Officer (10 December 2002) | |
Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown | Belgium | 1 August 2010 |
Honorary degrees
Honorary degrees | ||||
University | Field | Country | Date | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Free University Amsterdam | Economics | Netherlands | 20 October 2008 |
References
- ^ Banning, Cees; Calje, Kees (14 September 1992). "De enige linkse liberaal van Nederland". NRC (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Gerrit Zalm is de nieuwe VVD-leider" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 16 May 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Kabinet-Balkenende II is zo goed als rond" (in Dutch). Trouw. 22 May 2003. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Gerrit Zalm stopt eerder dan verwacht bij ABN Amro" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Zalm op een na beste minister van Financiën" (in Dutch). Trouw. 1 November 2006. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Verkiezing van de Beste Minister van Financiën" (in Dutch). Historisch Nieuwsblad. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Twintig jaar pinball in de Polder" (in Dutch). Trouw. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
External links
- Official
- (in Dutch) Dr. G. (Gerrit) Zalm Parlement & Politiek