Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen from Aon awarded prestigious Ambassador J. William Middendorf II Award
Amsterdam/Washington, 24 June 2021 – Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen, Chief Marketing Officer Aon Inpoint and Chairman of the Executive Board at Aon Holdings, has been awarded the prestigious Ambassador J. William Middendorf II Award by the Netherland-America Foundation (NAF). After former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Ruud Lubbers (1995) and Jan Peter Balkenende (2012) as well as former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman (2015) received this recognition, Soeteman-Reijnen is the first Dutch woman to receive this highly respected award.
Soeteman-Reijnen is being recognised for her services in promoting trade and cultural relations between the United States and the Netherlands. Within her role at Aon as well as through her service as a board member at the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands and various other board positions, Soeteman-Reijnen has been strengthening ties between the Netherlands and the United States for the past decades.
Since the start of her career, Soeteman-Reijnen has also been committed to promoting the role of women in business and to greater diversity and inclusion. As the president of the advisory council of SER Topvrouwen (= SER Top Women), which is dedicated to boardroom empowerment of women, and as the representative of the Netherlands at the G20 EMPOWER, this is one of Soeteman-Reijnen’s key focus areas.
Soeteman-Reijnen commented: “I am thankful and proud to receive the Ambassador J. William Middendorf II Award as the first Dutch woman ever. I am committed to continuing my efforts in strengthening the relationship between the Netherlands and the U.S. with a specific focus on the position of women in business and with a drive for greater diversity and inclusion.”
The award is given by the Netherland-America Foundation (NAF), which this year celebrates its 100 th anniversary. The annual award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary behaviour in the commercial, cultural or political sectors building the Dutch-U.S. relationship.
Andy Bender, Chairman at the Netherland-America Foundation (NAF) comments: “Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen has done an exceptional job at bolstering the Dutch-American relationship over the past several years, and has remained committed throughout her whole career to promoting the role of women in business. She is a pioneer and we are excited for her to continue to build Dutch-American ties.”
Photo: Andy Bender, Marguerite Soeteman-Reijnen and James Dykstra
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About NAF
Founded in 1921, the Netherland-America Foundation (NAF) is the leading bilateral foundation initiating and supporting high-impact exchange between the Netherlands and the United States, including the NAF-Fulbright Fellowships and programs in the arts, business, public policy and historic preservation. NAF activities provide donors and recipients with access to a broad network of educational, cultural and business organizations that exemplify Dutch and American excellence in a number of disciplines.