Philippe Close
Mayor of Brussels
Philippe Close studied law at the Brussels university “Université Libre de Bruxelles” (ULB) and started his career as a parliamentary employee for Senator Roger Lallemand working on Institutional Affairs.
In 1999 he started working at the study centre of the Socialist Party and became the spokesman for the President of the Socialist party, Mr Elio Di Rupo. A year later he became chief of Staff of the Mayor of Brussels, Mr Freddy Thielemans.
In 2006 Philippe Close became Alderman for Tourism and City Staff. He attached great importance to the development of tourism as an economic engine for the City and the Region of Brussels. Events tourism and city events are not only an important economic matter but also a way to give Brussels a great international reputation.
In 2009, Philippe Close was elected as a member of the Brussels Parliament where he focused on the health sector and institutional issues. In 2013 he was chosen to be the leader of the Socialist party group in the Brussels Parliament.
In July 2017 he became Mayor of the City of Brussels and resigned from the Brussels parliament to focus entirely on his work as Mayor. In October 2018, he was reelected as the Mayor of Brussels for another 6 years.