Gerrit Zalm was born in Enkhuizen on 6 May 1952. After completing his secondary education, he studied General Economics at Amsterdam Free University (graduation 1975).In 1975 Mr Zalm went to work for the Ministry of Finance. He started off as a staff member of the Economic Affairs Section of the Budget Preparation Division. In 1977 he was appointed Head of that section and in 1978 he was appointed Head of the whole division. In 1981 he was appointed as the Deputy Director for Budgetary Affairs and Head of the Budget Preparation Division.In 1983 Mr Zalm was appointed Deputy Director for General Economic Policy at the Ministry for Economic Affairs, becoming Director of that same Directorate in 1985.Mr Zalm has been employed at the Central Planning Bureau since 1988, first as a Deputy Managing Director and from 1989 as Managing Director. Since 1990 he was also part-time Professor in Economics at Amsterdam Free University (discipline Economic Policy).Mr Zalm was the Minister of Finance in the first and second “purple” government from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002. In 2002-2003 he was a chairman of his party’s parliamentary group (VVD). Mr Zalm was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the second and third Balkenende government from 27 May 2003 until 22 February 2007.Present activities:
- Chief Economist and CFO at DSB Bank;
- Advisor to Permira (private equality fund);
- Chairman of the Trustees of the IASC Foundation
- Chairman Advisory Council We go 4 it Cooperation between the social assistance organisations of the four largest cities of the Netherlands.
- Chairman of the Committee under auspices of Ministry of Defence
