Ambassador Popolo Presents Credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander
Joseph Popolo, the new Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at Paleis Noordeinde on Wednesday, October 29.
As the President’s representative in the Netherlands, Ambassador Popolo brings a strong personal commitment to advancing the United States’ long-standing partnership with the Netherlands. His mandate includes deepening cooperation across key areas of the bilateral relationship—defense and security, law enforcement, trade, and cutting-edge technologies. His arrival underscores the United States’ enduring dedication to one of its oldest and closest allies.
“I am incredibly honored to have been selected by President Trump to serve the United States as our new Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, one of our most important and enduring allies. Working with Secretary Rubio, we will strengthen the vital partnership between our two countries, building our past success into future results,” Ambassador Popolo stated.
Joseph “Joe” Popolo is the founder of Charles & Potomac Capital, LLC, a private investment firm focusing on technology, healthcare, media, energy, and real estate. Before his appointment, he served as its CEO. His extensive leadership experience—building teams, scaling businesses across continents, and contributing actively to educational, philanthropic, and charitable organizations—has prepared him well for his diplomatic role.
Prior to founding Charles & Potomac Capital, Ambassador Popolo played a key role in transforming the Freeman Company into the world’s leading live-event brand experience enterprise, tripling its size to $3 billion in revenue. He oversaw 7,500 employees in 25 cities across four continents, including the company’s European audio-visual division based in the Netherlands. Over the course of his career, he has overseen more than $1.5 billion in mergers and acquisitions. In 2018, he led the team that marketed and sold Freeman’s Encore Event Technology subsidiary to Blackstone, creating the world’s largest venue-based audio-visual company. He has served on several corporate boards, including Ondas Holdings ($ONDS), Encore, JEGI CLARITY, and Advisory Research, and held roles on the Board of Trustees at Boston College and the Executive Board of SMU’s Cox School of Business.
A proud Boston College alumnus, Ambassador Popolo holds a BS in Finance and an MBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he later received a Dean’s Award of Distinction. He and his wife are the parents of three children.
