32 Facts About Neelie Kroes

Neelie Kroes is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and businessperson who served as European Commissioner from 22 November 2004 to 1 November 2014.

Neelie Kroes worked as a researcher at her alma mater from September 1963 to April 1968, and as a corporate director for a transport company in Delft from April 1968 until August 1971, and for the chamber of commerce of Rotterdam from July 1969 until August 1971.

Neelie Kroes became a Member of the House of Representatives shortly after the election of 1971 on 3 August 1971, and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Transport and Education.

In June 1989, Neelie Kroes announced that she wouldn't stand for the election of 1989.

Neelie Kroes semi-retired from active politics and became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and served on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government, and served as Rector Magnificus of the Nyenrode Business University from June 1991 until January 2000.

In October 2004, Neelie Kroes was nominated as the next European Commissioner in the First Barroso Commission, and was given the heavy portfolio of Competition taking office on 22 November 2004.

In November 2009, Neelie Kroes was re-nominated for a second term in the Second Barroso Commission, and was given the heavy portfolio of Digital Agenda and was appointed as one of the Vice-Presidents serving from 9 February 2010 until 1 November 2014.

Neelie Kroes retired from active politics at the age of 73 and again became active in the private and public sectors as a corporate and non-profit director and served as a occasional diplomat for several economic delegations on behalf of the government.

Neelie Kroes holds the distinction as the first female Minister of Transport starting an informal tradition of women serving as Dutch Transport Ministers that has continued since 1982 for over 40 year.

Neelie Kroes was born on 19 July 1941 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Neelie Kroes was elected as a member of the University Council.

Neelie Kroes was first elected member of the Rotterdam city council for the VVD in 1970.

Neelie Kroes remained a member of parliament until 1977, when she became State Secretary for Transport, Public Works and Water Management in the First Van Agt Cabinet, responsible for Postal and Telephone Services and Transport.

Neelie Kroes had a business relationship with a tank cleaning company, which illegally received governmental subsidies.

In 1991, Neelie Kroes became chairperson of Nyenrode University, a private business school.

Until 2004 Neelie Kroes maintained an office in the castle of Jan-Dirk Paarlberg, a real estate mogul who was convicted to four and a half years in prison for money-laundering and extortion.

Neelie Kroes has held and still holds many side offices, mainly in cultural and social organisations.

Neelie Kroes is chairperson of Poets of all Nations, the Delta Psychiatric Hospital and of the board of the Rembrandt House Museum.

In 2004, Neelie Kroes was appointed the European Commissioner for Competition.

Neelie Kroes has tried to uphold her integrity; whenever she has to deal with issues concerning competition in branches of industry in which she used to be active as a board member, Commissioner McCreevy takes over her responsibilities.

Neelie Kroes attended conferences organized by the Bilderberg Group every year between 2005 and 2012.

Neelie Kroes was appointed as one of the vice-presidents of the European Commission.

Neelie Kroes is a proponent of Free and Open Source Software.

In November 2012, Neelie Kroes made international news when she said her advisers at the Internet Governance Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan had been the victims of computer hacking.

Neelie Kroes is currently leading StartupDelta, a public-private initiative to help promote the Netherlands as a destination for startup companies.

Neelie Kroes was accused by the investigative committee that she had helped a rogue company with a government subsidy into the saddle, which made the environmental crimes possible.

In 2016, leaks to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed that from 2001 to 2009 Neelie Kroes was the director of Mint Holdings, a company registered in the Bahamas.

Neelie Kroes did not disclose the numerous appointments she had with firms executives when European Commissioner for competition and then new technologies.

Neelie Kroes finally joins Uber Public Affairs team in 2016.

Neelie Kroes is a confidant of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, known for her criticism of Islam and having a fatwa issued, and persuaded her to switch allegiance from the social democratic PvdA to the VVD.

Neelie Kroes was International Road Federation Man of the Year of 1993.

Neelie Kroes made the Forbes' The World's 100 Most Powerful Women list multiple times: as number 53 in 2009,47 in 2008,59 in 2007.