Floris Hutters

Revision as of 00:30, 16 May 2024 by TheFurbishIslands (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Dpy
Floris Hutters
FlorisHutters2023.png
Hutters in 2023
32nd Leader of the Liberal Union
Assumed office
date
Preceded byname
1st leader of Horizonnen
Assumed office
date
Preceded byOffice established
Member of Parliament for Centraal Renneboom
In office
date –
Shadow ministerial positions
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of XXX
In office
DATE – DATE
Personal details
Political partyHorizonnen
SpouseAnnelijn van Aalzum
Alma materUniversiteit van Bolsrade (BS)
Bolsrade Business School (MBA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • businessman
Websiteflorishutters.fi

Floris Hutters (born 1967) is a Furbish businessman and politician who served as the founder and leader of the Horizonnen since 2012, leader of the Liberal Union since 2019, and a member of the National Assembly since 2012, as well as the CEO and majority shareholder of Roozenstraat Investments until 2012.

Hutters was born to a family of farmers in Leuven, rural Centraal Renneboom, near Bolsrade. He graduated from the University of Bolsrade in 1989, then held several jobs in the next four years until earning his MBA in 1993. That year he was offered a senior management position at EasyTrains, The Furbish Islands’ first privately owned low-cost high-speed rail operator, which was then a startup. The company grew quickly, and in 1995 launched the XXX brand, dedicated to connecting smaller towns and cities to vacation destinations, with Hutters as its president. In 1997 Hutters became the CEO of EasyTrains. Hutters slowly bought out other shareholders until becoming the majority shareholder in 1999. He then reorganized it into a subsidiary of the newly founded Roozenstraat Investments. Over the next decade Roozenstraat Investments acquired numerous companies, most notably Otman in 2002 and SBB in 2005.

In 2012, Hutters suddenly announced his intention of running for a seat in the National Assembly. He formed the Horizonnen, which was admitted to the Liberal Union. Already popular as a minor celebrity, Hutters was elected to the National Assembly along with several other Horizonnen candidates that year. Hutters was elected as leader of the Liberal Union in 2019 during the 2018-2020 government crisis. Hutters has served in several shadow government positions, first as shadow minister of XXX from 2015 to 2018. In 2019 he became Deputy Prime Minister of Economic Affairs under Richard Melberg's short-lived government, then held that position in Arthur Trudeau's caretaker government up to early-2021. After a surprise victory of the Liberal Union at the 2023 National Assembly election and a contentious government formation process, Hutters formed a government with several parties including the Christian Democratic Union and New Ideas, the latter being formed from deputies who left or were expelled from the right-wing populist Alternative for The Furbish Islands.

Hutters has been famous for his semi-populist campaign style, painting himself as an alternative to more established parties, but not radical enough as to alienate the Liberal Union’s traditional base or from the other parties. He is especially notable for his use of social media. Though rifts exist between him and establishment Liberal Union members, Hutters is credited for increasing the Liberal Union’s popularity and bringing it into the modern era.

Early life

Business career

First positions

EasyTrains

Roozenstraat Investments

National Assembly

First terms

Liberal Union leader

Personal life

Political views

Economic views

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies likely first came to Hutters’ attention when the value of bitcoin rose dramatically in 2013. In a meeting of Roozenstraat Investments executives, cryptocurrency was brought up, to which Hutters reportedly replied “If any of you seriously suggest investing in that I will dropkick you to fucking Fort Phillip Picket.”.

Since entering politics, Hutters has been opposed to any official recognition of cryptocurrency, though he also opposes banning its use, saying “If people want to be stupid with their money, it’s not the government’s place to stop them.”