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Consul-General

Bart van Bolhuis 
Consul-General of the Netherlands
Los Angeles / San Francisco

Bart van Bolhuis began his career in the civil service with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986. In his first assignment with the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1989 he was involved in the creation of the European Market and the Economic and Monetairian Union. With Senter, the executive agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs,  he established the ‘PSO Programme’, which assisted new European Union members to adapt to EU requirements, and helped to position Dutch business in developing markets in Eastern Europe.

From 1998 to 2002, Mr. van Bolhuis led the ‘Euroteam’ at the Ministry of Finance, which was responsible for the successful introduction of the Euro currency in the Netherlands.

From 2003 to 2009, Mr. van Bolhuis was Director for Foreign Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In this position, he coordinated government action aimed at the establishment of Dutch business in priority markets and the removal of barriers impeding bilateral trade and investment.

As Secretary of the Dutch Trade Board (DTB), Mr. van Bolhuis was at the forefront of a private-public cooperation designed to increase Dutch competitiveness in international and globalizing markets. In this regard he took the initiative for the creation of the Dutch Design Fashion and Architectual cooperation (DutchDFA) and other clustering of activities and instruments in international trade and investment relations. He also worked on the improvement of economic entrepreneurship in education and the enhancement of services offered by the Dutch diplomatic networks abroad.

Bart van Bolhuis has a master in International Law at the University of Amsterdam. He is married to Thessy Ries and has a son, Jasper.