On 23 February, Her Majesty the Queen appointed Mr Jan Cornelis De Jager Minister of Finance, succeeding Mr Wouter J. Bos. As Minister of Finance, Mr De Jager will also embrace the tasks he already had as State Secretary for Finance in the fourth Balkenende government since 22 February 2007.

Jan Cornelis De Jager was born in Kapelle on 10 February 1969. He studied business administration at Nyenrode University and obtained his bachelor’s degree in 1990. He continued his studies at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, where he graduated in sociology & economics and business economics in 1994 and in Dutch law in 1996.

In 1992 Mr De Jager was co-founder of Spectra Vision BV and was director, managing director and/or main shareholder of that company, its subsidiaries and ISM BV.

Mr De Jager has been a member of the board of the policy institute of the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA), member and treasurer of the CDA executive board, deputy secretary general of the young people’s organisation Youth of the European People’s Party, member of the national innovation platform, chair of the NGN association (a forum for ICT professionals), member of the advisory board of the Centres for Work and Income and board member of ICT~Office, the organisation of IT, telecom, office and internet companies in the Netherlands.