Wouter Koolmees
Wouter Koolmees is a Dutch politician and civil servant serving as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Third Rutte cabinet since 26 October 2017 and acting second Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1 November 2019. A member of the Democrats 66 party, he was a member of the House of Representatives from 17 June 2010 until his ministerial appointment; as a parliamentarian, he focused on matters of finance, transport and water supply.
Koolmees studied economics at Utrecht University. Before entering politics, he worked for several employers, including the Ministry of Finance. Following the 2017 general election, Koolmees represented his party's interests alongside Alexander Pechtold, party leader at the time, at the negotiations table to form Mark Rutte's third cabinet.
