Carola Schouten has been mayor of Rotterdam since 10 October 2024. The former deputy prime minister was sworn in during a special city council meeting, becoming the first woman to serve as mayor in Rotterdam’s history.
Carola Schouten sworn in as mayor of Rotterdam
Carola Schouten took office as mayor of Rotterdam on 10 October 2024, succeeding Ahmed Aboutaleb, who had served as mayor since 2009.
During an extraordinary meeting of Rotterdam city council, Schouten was sworn in by Wouter Kolff, the King’s Commissioner in Zuid-Holland. Astrid Kockelkoren, acting as deputy chair of the city council, chaired the meeting.
Kockelkoren then placed the mayoral chain of office on Schouten. Speeches followed from Ruud van der Velden, chair of the confidential committee involved in the mayoral selection process, The Hague mayor Jan van Zanen and Rotterdam deputy mayor Robert Simons.
At the end of the meeting, Kockelkoren also handed Schouten the council chair’s gavel. The ceremony formally marked the start of Schouten’s mayoralty.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Rotterdam’s first female mayor
Schouten’s appointment was a milestone for the city. She became the first female mayor in Rotterdam’s history.
In her installation address, Schouten spoke about renewal, safety and connection as priorities for her mayoralty. She stressed that people in Rotterdam should be able to live freely and safely, while also promising firm action against people who deliberately threaten the city.
She also emphasised collaboration, saying she looked forward to meeting people who wanted to work together to move Rotterdam forward.
Who is Carola Schouten?
Carola Schouten was born in ’s-Hertogenbosch on 6 October 1977 and grew up in Giessen in Noord-Brabant. She moved to Rotterdam in 1995 to study business administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam and has remained closely connected with the city since then.
Her studies also included a period studying management at Tel Aviv University in 2000. From 2000 to 2006, Schouten worked as a policy officer for work and income at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. She subsequently joined the ChristenUnie parliamentary group, where she worked on financial and social policy.
Schouten entered the House of Representatives for the ChristenUnie in 2011. From 2017 to 2022 she served as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the Rutte III cabinet while also serving as deputy prime minister.
In the Rutte IV cabinet, Schouten became Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions in January 2022. She remained deputy prime minister until the cabinet left office in July 2024.
Mayor of Rotterdam since 2024
Schouten has served as Rotterdam’s mayor since 10 October 2024. Her appointment brought her back to a city where she had already lived for nearly three decades and made her the first woman to hold Rotterdam’s mayoral office.
The municipality continues to list Carola Schouten as mayor of Rotterdam.
.jpeg)
