Education
After graduating from the Frederik Muller Academy, Krikke studied Law for some years at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
After graduating from the Frederik Muller Academy, Krikke studied Law for some years at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
From 3 September 2001 till 1 July 2013, she was Mayor of the municipality of Arnhem. Before that, she was an Alderman in the municipality of Amsterdam. At the time she became increasingly involved in both: international relations and public administration.
She served on the National Board of the Student Association for International Relations (SIB) and the Executive Committee of the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN).
After leading the campaign for the Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratic (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) in Amsterdam in 1986, she started her own service company for campaigns, congresses and events, meanwhile serving on the boards of Housing Corporation Nieuw Amsterdam, Employers association for Childcarecentres, and the Governments Council of Youth Policy. Pauline Krikke is a Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States since 1992 and as such participated in the Migration Dialogue 1998–2000.
In 1994, she was elected for the Amsterdam"s City Council, and two years later, she was appointed as Alderman for economic affairs, airports and seaports. After the elections of 1998, she was assigned the portfolios "economic affairs and employment" and "urban planning, housing and economy of the inner city".
She has also fulfilled several functions as a council member and commissioner, and was delegation leader of international missions with representatives of companies and institutions from Amsterdam
In 2001 she was appointed by The Crown to be the Mayor of Arnhem, and in 2007 for yet another term of six years.
Meanwhile, she held governmental subsidiary positions such as Taskforce Youth Unemployent, and Consultative Commission On Disaster Relief. The Technical University of Eindhoven selected Krikke for its Supervisory Board (2003–2011). On 29 October 2012, Krikke announced she would not seek a third term as Mayor of Arnhem, creating ample time for both the municipality and herself, for "flow, and recalibration of perspectives" before the summer of 2013.
Within her own political party she was Chairperson of the Permanent Committee for scouting Representatives for the National and European Parliaments (2004-2012).
Since 9 June 2015, she has been a member of the Senate. Pauline Krikke will remain on the board of the Netherlands Red Cross and a member of the Dutch Delegation in the Governing Board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Furthermore, she is Chairperson of the Dutch Road Transport Authority (RDW), Chairperson of the Nationwide Consultation consumer interests Public Transport, Chairperson of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Dutch Association of Insurers, and a member of Association Aegon.