Tom de Bruijn

Thomas Justinus Arnout Marie de Bruijn (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɔm də ˈbrœyn]; born 8 October 1948) is a Dutch diplomat, civil servant and politician who served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the third Rutte cabinet from 10 August 2021 to 10 January 2022. He is a member of the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party. After studying political science and Dutch law, De Bruijn started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He rose through its ranks and served as the Dutch permanent representative to the European Union in the years 2003–2011. De Bruijn then worked for the Council of State and was appointed The Hague's alderman for finance, traffic, transport and the environment in 2014. His term ended four years later after he had also served as acting mayor for 17 days in 2017. De Bruijn was appointed Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the demissionary cabinet in August 2021, replacing Sigrid Kaag. When Kaag resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs the following month, De Bruijn took over the post in an acting capacity until the appointment of Ben Knapen.