15 Facts About Kajsa Ollongren

Alexander Kajsa Ollongren, a Dutch East Indies-born astronomer and computer scientist, and his Swedish wife Gunvor Lundgren.

The Dutch Kajsa Ollongren, originating from the Russian branch of the Finnish-Swedish noble family, was incorporated into the untitled Dutch nobility in 2002, thereby giving her the noble predicate "jonkvrouw".

Kajsa Ollongren grew up in Oegstgeest, where she attended the secondary school Rijnlands Lyceum between 1979 and 1985.

Kajsa Ollongren subsequently studied public administration at the Ecole nationale d'administration in Paris and foreign relations at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael.

Kajsa Ollongren started her career in the civil service at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, becoming a policymaker in the area of Central and Eastern Europe there in 1992, in which capacity she trained young political parties of the newly established democracies in the area.

Kajsa Ollongren was head of parliamentary affairs within the ministry until 2001, and director of European Integration and Strategy from 2001 to 2004, and became Deputy Director General of the ministry in 2004.

In 2007, Kajsa Ollongren moved to the Ministry of General Affairs, the department headed by the Prime Minister, becoming Deputy Secretary General.

Kajsa Ollongren became Secretary General of the ministry in 2011.

On 26 October 2017, Kajsa Ollongren was appointed as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in Prime Minister Mark Rutte's third cabinet, succeeding Ronald Plasterk.

Kajsa Ollongren became the second of the cabinet's three Deputy Prime Ministers, serving alongside Hugo de Jonge and Carola Schouten.

The talks had been suspended earlier that day, because Kajsa Ollongren had tested positive for COVID-19.

Early in her tenure, Kajsa Ollongren agreed to a Ukrainian request to supply 200 FIM-92 Stinger air defence rockets and 50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank systems with 400 rockets in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In June 2024, Kajsa Ollongren said that the Netherlands would not object if Ukraine used Dutch-supplied F-16 fighters to strike targets inside Russia.

Kajsa Ollongren had introduced a bill days before that would require Dutch defence companies to produce for the Royal Netherlands Army in case of a potential war.

Kajsa Ollongren is married to television producer Irene van den Brekel.