Early life

Verbeet attended the Gymnasium in Amsterdam and began a study in social geography, which she did not finish. Instead she studied Dutch language and literature and worked as a teacher.

Politics

Between 1994 and 2001 she was political advisor to State Secretary Tineke Netelenbos and parliamentary leader Ad Melkert.

On 23 May 2001 she became a member of the House of Representatives, filling the vacancy left by Rob van Gijzel. In the general election of 2002 she was not reelected, but in July 2002 she reentered the House of Representatives, filling the vacancy left by Eveline Herfkens. In the Dutch general election of 2003 and 2006 she was able to retain her seat. In the House of Representatives, Verbeet concentrated on sport, policy regarding elderly people, and state pensions.

On 6 December 2006 she was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, defeating ministers Maria van der Hoeven of the Christian Democratic Appeal and Henk Kamp of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. She is the second female Speaker, after Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven, and the second Speaker elected in independent elections, after Frans Weisglas. Verbeet was reelected as Speaker on 22 June 2010, after the general elections of 9 June.

On 2 May 2012 Verbeet made known that she would not stand for re-election as a member of the House of Representatives and speaker for the Dutch general election of 2012 and would retire from active politics.^[2][3]

After leaving the House of Representatives, Verbeet took a seat on the supervisory board of Artis Zoo.^[4] She also became president of the Dutch Patients' Consumer Federation [nl] (NPCF),^[5] as of April 1, 2013, she is president of the Rathenau Institute.^[6] On October 1, 2013, she succeeded Onno Ruding as chairman of the Supervisory Board of Het Loo Palace.^[7]

On December 1, 2014 she joined the supervisory board of Siemens Netherlands.^[8]

Gerdi Verbeet succeeded Joan Leemhuis-Stout as president of the National Committee for 4 and 5 May on June 1, 2015.^[9][10] She remained in that position until May 31, 2021, when her six-year appointment expired.

Personal

Verbeet is divorced from her first husband and remarried in 2010 with fellow Labour Party politician Wim Meijer after a relationship of three years. She has two sons; two stepdaughters and three grandchildren and lives in Amsterdam.