Mark Rutte, born February 14, 1967, in The Hague, Netherlands, is a Dutch politician and the current Secretary General of NATO, a role he assumed in October 2024.[1][2][3] He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from October 2010 to July 2024, becoming the longest-serving leader in the country's history, overseeing four coalition governments amid economic crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Russia's war in Ukraine.[2][3] Rutte studied Dutch history at Leiden University and began his career in human resources at Unilever before entering politics with the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which he led from 2006 to 2023.[1][3] Elected prime minister in 2010 after his VVD secured 31 parliamentary seats, he formed his first cabinet with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and support from Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV), marking the first liberal premiership since 1918.[1] Subsequent cabinets included coalitions with the Labour Party (2012-2017), and later D66, CDA, and Christian Union (2017-2022 and 2022 onward).[1] Key achievements include navigating the European debt crisis, reducing unemployment, and maintaining fiscal conservatism while fostering EU and NATO ties; he opposed deeper eurozone integration and countered populism with pragmatic appeals like "Act normal, or go away" during the 2017 election against Wilders.[2] His governments resigned twice—once in 2021 over a child welfare scandal and again in July 2023 due to migration disputes—serving in caretaker roles thereafter.[1] Renowned for coalition-building and avoiding ideological visions in favor of practical consensus, Rutte stepped away from Dutch politics post-2024 to lead NATO, leveraging his transatlanticist stance amid global security challenges.[2][3]