Frits Huffnagel - Entrepreneur | Putiton

Frits Huffnagel - Entrepreneur | Putiton

Early life and education

Just like Rembrandt van Rijn, the Netherlands' greatest painter ever, I was born on July 15 in Leiden.

I also spent my youth there and completed my HAVO and VWO at the Dr. W.A. Visser 't Hooft Lyceum, after which I also left for Amsterdam to study political science at the Vrije Universiteit. I graduated in 1993 in Political Communication and Information. A logical choice for me, because Politics and Communications have interested me from an early age. In 1998 I became a member of the Amsterdam city council and in 2004 alderman for Finance, Economic Affairs, ICT and Airport.

In 2006 I became an alderman in The Hague with the portfolios of City Marketing and Inner City, International, ICT and Personnel & Organization. In the capital I introduced the 'I amsterdam' campaign and I was able to put the royal city on the map as "International City of Peace and Justice". No other councilor has ever had the word City Marketing on his or her card and until 2017, no one else could say that he or she was a councilor in two of the largest cities in the Netherlands. In 2011 I started a business under the name Frits Huffnagel, City Marketing & Communications.

In addition to being a city marketing specialist, I am experienced in conducting (political) campaigns. I was a member of Gerrit Zalm's campaign team in 2003 and the winning campaign leader of Mark Rutte in 2006. I gained some national fame as a panel member in the debate program Het Lagerhuis on Saturday evening at VARA and as a participant in the twelfth season of Wie is de Mol? (AVRO). I also follow American politics, which has given me meetings with Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rudolph Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. During performances I like to combine my political experience and views with humor. This also applies when I am a guest on television programs such as WNL Goedemorgen Nederland or Pauw. At Omroep West I present a talk show on Saturday evening entitled FRITS! about entrepreneurship, politics, art & culture and entertainment. As chairman and discussion leader, I like to fulfill the role of 'devil's advocate' to smooth discussions, clarify opinions and resolve differences of opinion. So I can be booked as a speaker, columnist, chairman, presenter and discussion leader.

Career trajectory

I am the only one in history to have had the privilege of being a councilor in not one, but two of the largest cities in the Netherlands. Part of my portfolio in both Amsterdam and The Hague was City Marketing. After all, a beloved city is a growing city and creating a future-proof profile became my task both in Amsterdam and later in The Hague. And what a wonderful task it was. In Amsterdam I am especially proud of the now world-famous I Amsterdam. A campaign that I was able to introduce and expand during my time as councilor in 2004 and that I have always considered a bit like my baby.

At first, Amsterdam residents were not really fans of the idea and the huge letters in the city, but now almost every Amsterdam resident has embraced the campaign and the success is unprecedented. Amsterdam has become more popular among residents and entrepreneurs and tourists come from far and wide to immortalize themselves with the letters on Museum Square, among other things. During Amsterdam Gay Pride, the letters can even be admired in the colors of the rainbow to express the freedom of the city. In 2018, there was a commotion in the city about a proposal by GroenLinks to abolish I Amsterdam.

A petition against this was signed more than ten thousand times within a few days: the letters are loved in and outside the city. As councilor responsible for the introduction of the campaign, I was of course frequently asked for my opinion, as in this article by Het Parool. Naturally, I wanted to maintain this extremely successful campaign. Fortunately, the majority of the city council shared this opinion and it was decided to maintain the letters in the city. And I ended up with beautiful shoes from Ike van der Plas (photo by Daniel Cohen).

I was also responsible for city marketing in The Hague. The city needed a boost and as the 'International City of Peace and Justice', The Hague now has a clear position in the world. City pride has increased with the beautiful parliament buildings, the Mauritshuis, Panorama Mesdag, in addition to the Peace Palace, the International Criminal Court and the beach of Scheveningen, The Hague also has a lot to offer visitors. In addition to the introduction of the general number 14070 (I previously introduced 14020 in Amsterdam), I and my Rotterdam colleague renamed Rotterdam Airport Rotterdam The Hague Airport: a powerful name for a powerful metropolis. I also co-wrote the book “Beautiful Holland”, a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated book about the past, present and future of our beautiful homeland. View or order the book here! After my councilorship, my company helped various cities and regions directly and indirectly with devising, developing and implementing city marketing plans. From workshops and small-scale projects to large campaigns: I like to think along. From Alkmaar to Goeree-Overflakkee and from Limburg to Assen.