Netherlands’ member
What was the position of Lilianne Ploumen in Dec 2017?
Lilianne Ploumen Elisabeth Maria Josepha Lilianne Ploumen ( ; born 12 July 1962 ) is a Dutch politician and activist serving as Leader of the Labour Party since 2021 . She has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2017 , as well as parliamentary leader since 2021 . Ploumen previously served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation from 2012 to 2017 . Early life and education . Elisabeth Maria Josepha Ploumen was born in Maastricht on 12 July 1962 . Early career . In 1983 , while still at university , Ploumen became a community outreach worker in the Crooswijk area of Rotterdam . Two years later she joined the Institute of Psychological Market Research ( IPM ) , a research-based consultancy , working in the statistics department as a research project leader . From 1990 to 1992 she was a marketing and research manager for Foster Parents Plan in Amsterdam . Ploumen then moved to Plan , the London-based umbrella organization , in 1993 . In 1995 she founded Ploumen Projecten , an organization specializing in market research and innovation for commercial and non-profit clients . Ploumen was director of Mama Cash and worked for Cordaid as head of quality and strategy and subsequently as director of international programmes . Political career . Ploumen became a member of the Labour Party in 2003 . She was the chairwoman of the Labour Party from 6 October 2007 , after she beat former Minister of Housing , Spatial Planning and the Environment Jan Pronk with 54% of the vote . She resigned from this post on 22 January 2012 and was succeeded by Hans Spekman . Ploumen served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the second Rutte cabinet from 5 November 2012 until 2017 . Early on in her tenure , Ploumen and Secretary of State of Finance Frans Weekers submitted a proposal in 2013 to renegotiate the Netherlands’ tax treaties with 23 least-developed countries . Their move was widely seen as marking a turning point for a country that long deflected accusations that it is a key player in tax avoidance by multinational corporations . With their proposal , Ploumen and Weekers followed the recommendations of a government-commissioned report which , for the first time , agreed with tax-justice groups that developing countries miss out on substantial tax revenues because of their treaties with the Netherlands . During her time in office , Ploumen increased the Netherlands’ support to Gavi , the Vaccine Alliance , from €200 million to €250 million for period from 2016 until 2020 . Between 2014 and 2016 , she co-chaired the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-Operation ( alongside José Antonio Meade Kuribreña ) . She also served a two-year term as member of the World Bank Group’s ( WBG ) Advisory Council on Gender and Development from 2015 until 2017 . In January 2016 , Ploumen headed an official Dutch delegation to Cuba , including some 60 businesses . During the trip , it was announced that global consumer products company Unilever would return to Cuba after a several-year absence , agreeing to build a $35 million soap and toothpaste factory in Cuba’s special development zone at the port of Mariel west of Havana . Most notably , however , Ploumen started the She Decides campaign , an initiative of about 50 countries , organizations and foundations to finance global family planning initiatives after a U.S . halt to such programs left NGOs worldwide with a large funding gap . Within six months the organization received pledges worth US$300 million . As minister , she pledged 10 million euro to counter the Mexico City policy . Following the 2014 European elections , international news media widely considered Ploumen one of the candidates for the nomination to become the Netherlands’ member of the European Commission ; the post eventually went to Frans Timmermans . In the Dutch elections in 2017 , in which the PvdA won nine seats , Ploumen was tenth on the electoral list , but due to preferential votes still won a seat in the Dutch House of Representatives . Other activities . Corporate boards . - Opzij , Member of the Board International organizations . - African Development Bank ( AfDB ) , Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors - Asian Development Bank ( ADB ) , Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( EBRD ) , Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors - Inter-American Investment Corporation ( IIC ) , Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors - Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ( MIGA ) , World Bank Group , Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors - World Bank , Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors Non-profit organizations . - European Council on Foreign Relations ( ECFR ) , Member of the Council - Stop Aids Now! , Member of the Supervisory Board - WOMEN Inc. , Member of the Board Recognition . - 2017 – Dame Commander of the Order of St . Gregory the Great ( Holy See ) - 2018 – Aletta Jacobs Prize External links . - Official - Drs . E.M.J . ( Lilianne ) Ploumen Parlement.com