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Stef Blok

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Personal details
Full name: Stephanus Abraham Blok
Place and date of birth: Emmeloord, 10 December 1964
Place of residence: Enkhuizen
Civil status: married, one child.

Education
1977-1983: Secondary school, Leiden
1983-1988: Degree in business administration, University of Groningen.

Career
Stef Blok began his career as a trainee at the Société Générale in Paris (1987-1988) and as a management trainee at ABN AMRO (1988-1989). Before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1998, he held various positions at the latter bank: from 1989 to 1991 he was director of their office in Nieuwkoop. In 1992 he became a senior policy officer for lending operations and then a credit analyst/executive secretary for the bank's Policy Group Risk Committee. From 1996 to 1998 he was vice president for corporate banking.

From 25 August 1998 to 23 May 2002 and from 3 September 2002 to 5 November 2012, Mr Blok was a member of the House of Representatives for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). From October 2010 to November 2012 he was also the VVD's parliamentary party leader. During his time in parliament he dealt mainly with finance, economic affairs, social affairs and public expenditure. From December 2002 to September 2004 he was chair of the temporary parliamentary committee to investigate integration policy.

From 5 November 2012 to 27 January 2017 Stef Blok was Minister for Housing and the Central Government Sector in the Rutte-Asscher government. From 10 March 2015 to 20 March 2015 and from 27 January 2017 to 26 October 2017, he was Minister of Security and Justice.

On 7 March 2018 Mr Blok was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the third Rutte government.

Party political positions and outside activities
Stef Blok was leader of the VVD group in Nieuwkoop municipal council from 1994 to 1997. He led the VVD's campaign for the parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2012.

Mr Blok has held positions with organisations associated with social services and environmental conservation, sitting on the board of conservation organisation Zuid-Hollands Landschap and on the supervisory board of Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care.
7 March 2018