Ahmed Aboutaleb has served as Mayor of Rotterdam since 2009, and is set to retire in October 2024. Born in Morocco and arriving in the Netherlands at the age of 15, Aboutaleb has also served as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment. He has balanced the racial and interfaith tensions that exist in Rotterdam. In December 2020, he was confirmed as Mayor for a third term and in 2021 won the World Mayor Award.