1. Wouter Bos worked as a human resource manager for Royal Dutch Shell from August 1988 until May 1998 in Pernis from August 1988 until September 1989 in Rotterdam from September 1989 until July 1991 in Bucharest, Romania from July 1991 until April 1993 in Hong Kong from April 1993 until November 1995 and in London, England from November 1995 until May 1998.
Wouter Bos was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives after the election of 1998, taking office on 19 May 1998 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Finances.
Wouter Bos was appointed as State Secretary for Finance in the Cabinet Kok II following the appointment of Willem Vermeend as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, taking office on 24 March 2000.
Wouter Bos won the leadership election defeating former Speaker of the House of Representatives Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven and former Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Klaas de Vries and was elected as Leader and Parliamentary leader and Lijsttrekker for the election of 2003, taking office on 19 November 2002.
On 12 March 2010 Wouter Bos unexpectedly announced his retirement from national politics and that he wouldn't stand for the election of 2010 and approached Job Cohen as his successor.
Wouter Bos semi-retired from national politics and became active in the private sector and public sector, in October 2010 Wouter Bos became a partner at the financial services firm KPMG.
In September 2018 Wouter Bos was appointed as chairman of the board of directors of the Netherlands Investment Agency, taking office on 1 October 2018.
Wouter Bos serves as a lobbyist for several economic delegations on behalf of the government.
Wouter Bos was raised in a Doorbraak social-democratic family with a Protestant background in Vlaardingen.
Wouter Bos's father founded the ecumenical development cooperation fund ICCO, which he led for many years.
Between 1969 and 1974 Wouter Bos attended the Protestant elementary school de Beurthonk in Odijk.
Wouter Bos began to work for Shell because he thought that "the Dutch Left should not leave the business world to the Dutch Right".
Wouter Bos campaigned together with Rick van der Ploeg and Willem Vermeend as "the Polderboys" and gave lectures in economics at universities.
The ensuing coalition formation talks between Balkenende and Wouter Bos failed after several months.
At that time Wouter Bos was the leader of the largest opposition party.
Wouter Bos spent considerable time reforming the PvdA's internal organisation and public image, together with the party's chairman Ruud Koole.
Wouter Bos was criticized for his silence on important reforms and issues, and his moderacy which resulted in other parties claiming opposition leadership, among them most notably the Socialist Party.
At the December 2005 party congress, Wouter Bos announced that he aspired to become Prime Minister of the Netherlands, should the PvdA succeed in becoming the biggest party after the next parliament elections.
Wouter Bos lost nine seats in the elections, which saw large gains for the main rival of Labour on the left side of the political spectrum, the more radical Socialist Party.
Nonetheless, after these elections, Wouter Bos became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet, thereby breaking a campaign promise to only join a cabinet when he could hold the office of Prime Minister.
Wouter Bos subsequently resigned her post on 13 November 2008.
Wouter and Barbara Bos have two daughters, Iris and Jula and a son Joppe.