VVD Senator Edith Schippers will resign to become CEO at pharma firm Mosadex

Senator Edith Schippers will vacate her seat within a matter of weeks take over as the next CEO of pharmaceutical wholesaler Mosadex. The politician is the leader of the VVD faction in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate. While it was not immediately clear who will take her place as a senator, Schippers confirmed on Monday that Deputy Faction Leader Tanja Klip-Martin was unanimously chosen to become the next VVD leader in the Eerste Kamer.

Schippers will resign from both positions effective January 1. The former health minister and DSM CEO cited the increasing demands of her political and professional roles as the reason for her departure. Schippers joined the Senate in 2023 and was elected faction leader that summer. Her role intensified after the fall of the Rutte IV Cabinet, which increased political activity and demands.

"It is with a heavy heart that I announce my departure from the Senate," she wrote in a statement. "The responsibilities associated with my role as faction leader—both in the Senate and within the party—have grown significantly. This makes the time commitment much greater than I initially anticipated in 2022," Schippers explained.

Schippers, who will become CEO of pharmaceutical wholesaler Mosadex in January, has been unable to balance her current advisory role with her Senate duties. "I’ve repeatedly adjusted my work to try to combine both roles but must now conclude that both my professional responsibilities and the VVD deserve better," she wrote.

Her political career has spanned three decades, including seven years as a member of the Tweede Kamer, the lower House of Dutch Parliament, four as deputy faction leader, and seven as Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport under Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Her tenure as faction leader was marked by several challenges, including divisions within her party over the controversial asylum distribution law. The measure was pushed through Parliament to mandate that asylum seekers be more even spread out through the Netherlands, including in municipalities which object to hosting them for various reasons.

In January, the VVD Senate faction supported the legislation under Schippers’ leadership. This was despite opposition from the VVD in the Tweede Kamer, led by Dilan Yesilgöz.

The Senate’s approval of the law also caused tension among current coalition partners VVD, PVV, NSC, and BBB while the four right-wing parties were attempting to figure out how they can bridge the wide divide between them on a number of issues. PVV leader Geert Wilders demanded clarity about whether VVD leadership in both houses of Parliament could be aligned on the issue, which remained unresolved.

It is unclear how Klip-Martin, Schippers’ successor, will handle ongoing debates on topics which are not only divisive at a national level, but also within their own party.

Schippers expressed gratitude for her time in the Senate and her long-standing involvement with the VVD, which began in 1993. “I thank the party for the trust it has placed in me over the years. That trust has always been an enormous source of support,” she said.