In a packed council chamber at Rotterdam City Hall, former mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb received the Rotterdam Promotion Award from the hands of Mayor Carola Schouten. “I am deeply honored to have received this award from the city,” said an emotional Ahmed Aboutaleb.
The ceremony at City Hall was, of course, accompanied by many kind words from Derek Otte, Senate President Jan Anthonie Bruijn, and music by Glenda Peters. This edition of the Rotterdam Promotion Award was particularly special, as it marked the 50th time the award has been presented. Mayor Carola Schouten remarked, “It’s truly beautiful, but also incredibly demanding—this role of mayor.”
A quote from the jury report:
Not only in Rotterdam did he make it happen; as an ambassador for his global city and promoter of the brand alliance ‘Rotterdam Make it Happen,’ he has firmly put Rotterdam on the map and consigned the ‘second city’ status to the past.
We are a global city, thanks in no small part to our global mayor. Together, we have become a model city for addressing international issues in the fields of sustainability, innovation, energy transition, and safety. In doing so, he bridges the city’s history with the metropolis of the future.
The Rotterdam Promotion Award Foundation was originally established by the members of Club 25. Since 1971, the award has been presented to a person or organization who, in the opinion of Club 25 members, has made an outstanding contribution to promoting the reputation and recognition of Rotterdam as a city and port.
