Saturday, March 24, 2007
Wouter Bos - Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance The Netherlands
Wouter Jacob Bos was born in Vlaardingen on 14 July 1963.After completing his secondary education, Mr Bos did voluntary work for a year at the YMCA National Centre in Curdridge, United Kingdom. From 1981 onwards he read politics and from 1982 economics at the VU University, Amsterdam, graduating in both subjects in 1988.
After graduating, Mr Bos went to work for Shell. Until 1990 he was management consultant at the Shell Nederland Raffinaderij BV in Pernis, until 1992 policy adviser at Shell Nederland BV in Rotterdam, and then until 1993 general affairs manager for Shell Romania Exploration BV in Bucharest. He was subsequently employed as staff planning and development manager at Shell Companies in Greater China, based in Hong Kong. In 1996 he became the new markets consultant at Shell International Oil Products in London.
From 1998 to 2000 he was a member of the House of Representatives of the States General for the Labour Party (PvdA).
From 24 March 2000 to 22 July 2002 Mr Bos was State Secretary for Finance in the second Kok government.
From 2002 to 2007 he was again a member of the House and, in the same period, leader of the PvdA parliamentary party.
On 22 February 2007 Mr Bos was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the fourth Balkenende government.
