Aufsichtsrat
Hermans semi-retired from national politics and became active in the private sector and public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards (Vestia, Public Pension Funds PFZW, and CARE) and served on several and councils on behalf of the government (, , National Archives and the Social and Economic Council). Hermans also worked as a trade association executive for the serving as Chairman of the Executive Board from 1 July 2003 until 9 February 2011 and for the serving as Chairman of the Executive Board from 10 December 2002 until 1 November 2012. Hermans also worked as media administrator for the public broadcaster "WNL" serving as Chairman of the Supervisory board from 16 February 2009 until 15 April 2013 and as a sport administrator for SC Heerenveen and as a academic administrator for the Radboud University Nijmegen serving as Chairman of the Education board since 1 May 2008. Hermans was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 2007, taking office on 12 June 2007 serving as a frontbencher chairing the and the and spokesperson for Royal House affairs. Hermans was selected as Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the Senate following the appointment of Uri Rosenthal as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Rutte I, taking office on 22 February 2011. On 3 November 2015 Hermans resigned after a judicial verdict of mismanagement at Meavita, a health care organisation where Hermans served as Chairman of the Supervisory board when the organisation went bankrupt in 2009.