Vera Bergkamp

Vera Alida Bergkamp (born 1 June 1971) is a retired Dutch politician. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, she served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 7 April 2021 and 5 December 2023. She was a member of the House of Representatives between 20 September 2012 and 5 December 2023.

Early life and education
Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a Moroccan father. At the age of 20, she adopted her mother's surname, because her father's surname was too difficult to write and to pronounce. Her original name was Firouz Alida Chaouqui. Bergkamp studied human resource management at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. She also holds a master's degree in public administration and political science from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Career
From 2008 to 2012, Bergkamp was the director of the human resources department of the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), a Dutch quango responsible for administering national insurance schemes. From 2010 to 2012, she chaired the LGBT rights organisation COC Nederland, as well as held a seat in the district council of Amsterdam-Centrum.

In the 2012 general election, Bergkamp was elected into the House of Representatives as a member of D66. She was re-elected in 2017 and 2021. On 7 April 2021, she succeeded Khadija Arib as Speaker of the House of Representatives. On August 24 2023, Bergkamp announced in a letter that she would no longer stand for election and would leave national politics after the 2023 House of Representatives elections. She did not give an explicit reason for her departure.

Personal life
Bergkamp is openly lesbian. She is married and has two children.