Holland on the Hill

For more than 400 years, the Netherlands and the United States have enjoyed an economic relationship based on their shared values of freedom, justice, and entrepreneurship.

The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award honors an entrepreneur who has made a substantial and positive contribution to the US-Dutch economic relationship, exemplifying the best of both worlds. Chosen by an awards committee, the recipient is an innovative industry leader who combines entrepreneurial drive with a transatlantic focus.


 

The award embodies the spirit of Freddy Heineken, whose grandfather founded in 1864 the brewery that bears the family name. Freddy Heineken began working at the brewery in 1942, when he was just 18 years old, but failed to prove himself to management during his early years on the job. Uncertain what to do with the young man, management sent Freddy Heineken to the United States as the sales manager. The new job was perceived as a dead-end career move because the company had sold little beer in America and had few plans for expansion.
 

But Freddy Heineken proved them wrong, increasing US sales 260 percent in his first year abroad. He continued using innovative marketing skills he learned in America, and transformed the Dutch company into one of the world’s most recognized brands today.
 

The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award is part of a new effort to celebrate the values that the Netherlands and the United States have shared for more than 400 years, including freedom, justice, and entrepreneurship. Holland on the Hill is a joint project of the Netherlands Embassy, the Dutch Caucus, the Netherlands business community and the Netherland America Foundation to strengthen the ties surrounding these values on an economic, political, and cultural level.
 

Recipients of the Freddy Heineken Award

2025: Mark Heine, Fugro
Story

2024: Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4
Story and photos

2023:  Klaas van Lookeren Campagne, citizenM
Story and photos

2022: Richard DeLuca Jr., Merck
Story and photos

2021: Peter Oosterveer, Arcadis
Photos and videos

2020: Michelle Browdy, IBM
Photos and videos

2019: Alexander R. Wynaendts, Aegon
Photos and videos

2018: David Hyman, Netflix
Photos

2017: Dick Boer, Ahold Delhaize
Photos

2016: Victoria B. Mars, Mars Inc.
Photos

2015: Paul Polman, Unilever
Photos

2014: Werner Vogels, Amazon.com
Photos

To honor the legacy of Anne Frank and keep alive the lessons she continues to teach us about tolerance and the importance of defending human rights, the Netherlands Embassy together with the Anne Frank Center USA and the Anne Frank House Amsterdam, in cooperation with the Dutch Caucus, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, have created the Anne Frank Award.
 

The award is given to an American person (or organization) who has demonstrated a body of work that confronts intolerance, anti-Semitism, racism or discrimination while upholding freedom and equal rights in order to promote the effective functioning of an open, pluralistic and democratic society.
 

Nominations are to be submitted to the Netherlands Embassy for consideration by the advisory committee, whose voting members must reach a majority consensus for the nominee to be selected.
 

Recipients of the Anne Frank Award

2025
Dr. Irene Butter,  a child Holocaust survivor, educator, peace activist, and author
Special Recognition: Dr. Kathrin Meyer, former Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Story | Photos

2023
Former US Senator Benjamin Cardin
Special Recognition:  Maksym Butkevych
Story | Photos

2020
Former U.S. Representative and Chairwoman of the House Committee on Appropriations Nita Lowey
Special Recognition: Violins of Hope
Photos | Video
 

2019
Benjamin Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials
Special Recognition: Syria Justice and Accountability Centre
Photos | Videos
 

2017
Father Leo O’Donovan of the Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Special Recognition: Robert Quinn of Scholars at Risk
Photos | Video
 

2015
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist
Special Recognition: Cindy McCain of the McCain Institute’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council
Photos
 

2014
Rabbi David Nathan Saperstein
Special Recognition: Canon Andrew White
Photos

We would like to thank our proud partners for helping make Holland on the Hill a success:

Corporate Partner Logos

The Congressional Caucus on the Kingdom of the Netherlands

We would like to thank the members of the Congressional Caucus on the Kingdom of the Netherlands for their work to strengthen the ties between the Kingdom and the United States:

Congressional Caucus members

To highlight these shared values, the Holland on the Hill program was launched in 2014. Holland on the Hill is a joint effort program of the US Congressional Caucus on the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, corporate partners, and the Netherland-America Foundation.

By organizing a yearly program of special events including lunches on specific themes, lectures by captains of industry and festive receptions, Holland on the Hill focuses on outreach on topics that are relevant for Americans and the Dutch. The Freddy Heineken Award Ceremony, the Anne Frank Award Ceremony and the end-of-year reception are examples of events that are organized on a yearly basis.

The Freddy Heineken Award Ceremony

The Freddy Heineken Award is named after the late Freddy Heineken, who was sent to the United States in the 1940s and established the Heineken brand overseas. Upon his return to the Netherlands, he used the innovative marketing skills he learned in the United States to transform Heineken into one of the world’s most recognized brands today.

The award honors industry leaders who have made a substantial contribution to the US-Dutch economic relationship through their entrepreneurial drive, a drive that is part of the Dutch DNA.

Anne Frank Award Ceremony

To honor the legacy of Anne Frank and keep alive the lessons she continues to teach us about tolerance and the importance of defending human rights, in cooperation with the Congressional Dutch Caucus, the Anne Frank Center USA, the Anne Frank House Amsterdam, and the Royal Netherlands Embassy have created the Anne Frank Award.

The award is given to an American person or organization who has demonstrated a body of work that confronts intolerance, anti-Semitism, racism or discrimination while upholding freedom and equal rights in order to promote the effective functioning of an open, pluralistic and democratic society.

Lunch and Learn sessions

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands organizes lunchtime discussions and lectures on Capitol Hill to raise awareness of policy issues that are important to both the Netherlands and the United States, particularly in the fields of trade and investment, agriculture, infrastructure and water management, sustainability, and human rights.

These events are arranged in partnership with members of Congress and are free and open to the public.