Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Mark Rutte

Discover the career path of Mark Rutte, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician, currently serving as the 14th secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024 and leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 2006 to 2023. Rutte holds the distinction of being the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, with nearly 14 years in office.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles

1988: Rutte joins Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy

In 1988, Mark Rutte joined the board of the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy.

1991: Rutte chairs Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy

In 1991, Mark Rutte served as chair of the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy.

1993: Rutte joins VVD national board

In 1993, Mark Rutte became a member of the national board of the VVD.

1997: Rutte becomes staff manager

In 1997, Mark Rutte became the staff manager of Van den Bergh Nederland, a subsidiary of Unilever.

1997: Rutte continues as VVD national board member

In 1997, Mark Rutte continued to serve as a member of the national board of the VVD.

2000: Rutte joins Corporate Human Resources Group

In 2000, Mark Rutte became a member of the Corporate Human Resources Group.

July 2002: Rutte becomes State Secretary

On 22 July 2002, Mark Rutte became State Secretary at the Social Affairs and Employment Ministry.

2002: Rutte becomes human resource manager

In 2002, Mark Rutte became the human resource manager for IgloMora Groep, another subsidiary of Unilever.

2002: Rutte enters national politics

In 2002, Mark Rutte entered national politics as a member of Jan Peter Balkenende's cabinets after working for Unilever.

May 2003: Rutte briefly serves in House of Representatives

From 30 January to 27 May 2003, Mark Rutte briefly served as a member of the House of Representatives.

June 2004: Rutte becomes State Secretary for Higher Education and Science

In June 2004, Mark Rutte became State Secretary for Higher Education and Science, within the Education, Culture and Science Ministry.

June 2004: Rutte continues as State Secretary

In June 2004, Mark Rutte continued his role as State Secretary at the Social Affairs and Employment Ministry until 17 June 2004.

May 2006: Rutte elected lijsttrekker of the VVD

On 31 May 2006, Mark Rutte was announced as the next lijsttrekker (lead candidate) of the VVD, after being elected by 51.5% of party members.

June 2006: Rutte resigns and returns to House of Representatives

In June 2006, Mark Rutte resigned from his position in government to return to the House of Representatives, subsequently becoming the parliamentary leader of the VVD.

2006: Rutte wins VVD leadership election

In 2006, Rutte won the VVD leadership election.

October 2010: Rutte appointed formateur and presents first cabinet

On 8 October 2010, Mark Rutte was appointed as formateur, securing support for a VVD and CDA coalition. On 14 October, he presented his first cabinet to Parliament and was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

2010: Rutte becomes Prime Minister of the Netherlands

In 2010, following a victory in the general election and lengthy coalition negotiations, Mark Rutte became the prime minister of the Netherlands, marking the first self-described liberal to hold the position in 92 years.

November 2012: Rutte returns as prime minister

On 5 November 2012, after the VVD negotiated a coalition agreement with the Labour Party following the 2012 general election, Mark Rutte returned as prime minister of the Second Rutte cabinet.

April 2016: Rutte appointed to UN High-Level Panel on Water

In April 2016, Mark Rutte was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group to the High-Level Panel on Water.

October 2017: Rutte sworn in for third term

On 26 October 2017, Mark Rutte presented his third cabinet and was sworn in as prime minister for a third term after negotiating a grand coalition.

2017: VVD remains largest party

In 2017, after the general election, the VVD remained the largest party, though it lost seats. Rutte was later appointed to lead his third cabinet.

2019: VVD suffered a blow following the victory of right-wing populist newcomer Forum for Democracy

In 2019, at the provincial elections, Rutte's VVD suffered a blow following the victory of right-wing populist newcomer Forum for Democracy (FvD).

2020: Rutte was considered the unofficial leader of the Frugal Four

During the negotiations for the COVID-19 recovery fund in the European Union in 2020, Rutte was considered the unofficial leader of the Frugal Four, demanding loans instead of grants and more conditions on them. He also suggested that the EU could be dissolved and re-formed without Poland and Hungary.

January 2021: Third Rutte cabinet collectively resigned

On 15 January 2021, the third Rutte cabinet collectively resigned after the publication of research centered around the childcare subsidies scandal in the Netherlands. Rutte offered his resignation to King Willem-Alexander.

December 2021: Rutte presented a new coalition agreement

On 15 December 2021, after the Dutch general election and the longest formation process in Dutch history, Rutte presented a coalition agreement with D66, CDA and CU, the same combination as his previous government.

October 2022: Rutte calls for investigation of war crimes

In October 2022, Rutte said that alleged war crimes and human rights violations committed during the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Nagorno-Karabakh should be investigated.

2022: Rutte begins fourth term

In 2022, after a record-length formation period, Mark Rutte began his fourth term as prime minister.

January 2023: Agreement to limit chip exports to China

In January 2023, the U.S., Japan, and the Netherlands reached an agreement to limit certain advanced chip exports to China.

March 2023: Restrictions on chip exports

In March 2023 the Dutch government placed restrictions on chip exports in order to protect national security, affecting ASML.

July 2023: Government resigns over migration policy

On 7 July 2023, Mark Rutte's government resigned after failing to reach an agreement on migration policy.

July 2023: Rutte offered the resignation of his government

On 7 July 2023, after failing to reach an agreement on immigration policy, the parties in Rutte's coalition unanimously decided that they could not continue working together, and Rutte offered the resignation of his government. Three days later, Rutte announced his departure both as political leader of the VVD and from national politics in general.

October 2023: Rutte announced his candidacy for Secretary General of NATO

In October 2023, Rutte announced his candidacy for Secretary General of NATO.

October 2023: Rutte condemned the Hamas attack on Israel

On 7 October 2023, while serving as outgoing prime minister, Rutte condemned the Hamas attack on Israel and expressed his support to Israel and its right to self-defense. He was the first foreign leader to speak with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on that day. Later that month he visited Israel to express solidarity.

November 2023: General elections held early

Due to the resignation of the cabinet, general elections were held early on 22 November 2023, with the VVD now under the leadership of Dilan Yeşilgöz.

January 2024: Further restrictions on chip-making equipment to China

In January 2024, the Dutch government placed further restrictions on the shipment of some advanced chip-making equipment to China.

February 2024: Dutch court ordered to stop exporting parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel

In February 2024 a court in the Netherlands ordered the Dutch government to stop exporting parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.

February 2024: Rutte visited Saudi Arabia and Paris

In February 2024, Rutte visited Saudi Arabia and spoke with the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. He then traveled to Paris to attend an emergency summit concerning the situation in Ukraine, where he announced that the Netherlands would provide €100 million for the purchase of artillery ammunition for Ukraine.

February 2024: Rutte's bid received public support

In February 2024, Rutte's bid to be Secretary General of NATO received public support from the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

March 2024: Xi Jinping's remarks on China's scientific and technological progress

On 27 March 2024, Chinese president Xi Jinping told Rutte that "no force can stop the pace of China’s scientific and technological progress".

April 2024: Rutte condemned the Iranian strikes against Israel

On 14 April 2024, Rutte condemned the Iranian strikes against Israel and reiterated the necessity for sanctions against Iran. Rutte stated that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) should be added to the EU's terrorism blacklist.

June 2024: Rutte attended the Ukraine peace summit

In June 2024 Rutte attended the Ukraine peace summit, interpreting Putin's proposal for peace talks as a sign of panic. Rutte's government also authorized Ukraine to use Dutch-supplied F-16 fighters to strike targets inside Russia in May.

June 2024: Rutte's appointment as Secretary General of NATO

On 26 June 2024 Rutte's only opponent, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, dropped out a week before his official appointment as Secretary General of NATO.

July 2024: Schoof Cabinet sworn in

In July 2024, the Schoof cabinet was sworn in, replacing Rutte IV which had been functioning as a caretaker government since July 2023.

October 2024: Mark Rutte becomes NATO Secretary General

In October 2024, Mark Rutte assumed the position of the 14th Secretary General of NATO.

October 2024: Rutte comments on Russian casualties in Ukraine war

In October 2024, Rutte said that more than 600,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded during the war with Ukraine.

October 2024: Rutte became Secretary General of NATO

On 1 October 2024, Rutte succeeded Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of NATO during a ceremonial handover at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Rutte announced his candidacy for the position in October 2023.

2024: Rutte moved to Brussels

Before moving to Brussels in 2024 following his appointment as Secretary General of NATO, Rutte lived in an apartment in Benoordenhout, a neighbourhood of The Hague, for several decades.

March 2025: Rutte commented on NATO membership for Ukraine

In March 2025, following the new Trump administration's announcement that it does not support NATO membership for Ukraine, Rutte stated that Ukraine had never been promised NATO membership as part of a peace agreement and that Europe and the US should eventually normalise relations with Russia after a peace agreement.