Karien van Gennip

Catharina Elisabeth Godefrida (Karien) van Gennip was born in Leidschendam on 3 October 1968.

After completing her secondary education, Ms van Gennip studied applied physics at Delft University of Technology, graduating in 1993. Her graduation project was commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Culture and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

In 1995, she graduated as a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France.

In 1994 and from 1996 to 2002, Ms Van Gennip worked for McKinsey & Co. in Amsterdam and San Francisco. From September 2002, she led the reorganisation of the Financial Markets Authority, and was appointed its director in 2003.

From 2002 to 2003, Ms van Gennip was a member of the board of the Christian Democratic Alliance (CDA) in Amsterdam.

Ms van Gennip was appointed State Secretary for Economic Affairs (Minister for Foreign Trade) in the second Balkenende government on 27 May 2003.

She now represents Oegstgeest in the House of Representatives.