Belgian

Tom Verhaegen

Tom Verhaegen

Agilitas Group
CEO
Belgian

Tom Verhaegen is CEO of Agilitas Group, a provider of HR solutions in temporary staffing, outplacement and recruitment with operations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland. The company, with more than 750 employees spread over 150 offices across three countries, was acquired by French staffing firm Proman in January 2020. Prior to his appointment as CEO of Agilitas Group in 2017, he held leadership roles in SABMiller, Dreher Breweries and InBev. Verhaegen is a strong commercial leader who delivers through focus on people, brands, customers and execution.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Denis Pennel

Denis Pennel

WEC
Managing Director

Denis Pennel has held the role of managing director of the World Employment Confederation (previously Ciett) since April 2005. Pennel promotes the interests of the staffing industry before international institutions such as the European Union, the International Labour Organisation, the World Bank and the OECD. Prior to his current role, he served as corporate communications director for Manpower France from 1998 to 2005. He is best known for his advocacy work during the writing phase of the Agency Work Directive as well as his efforts to ensure the optimal transposition of the directive across Europe.

Steve Rousseau

Steve Rousseau

House of Talents
CEO and Founder
Belgian

Steve Rousseau is CEO and founder of House of Talents, an international human resources services group that comprises companies in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. In 2021, Rousseau continued his ambition to grow the group’s footprint internationally with the purchase of recruitment parent company The Human Network in the Netherlands and consulting firm Quintessence in Belgium. While growing House of Talents, Rousseau aims to keep its 2,500 employees feeling proud and valued. He is also the co-owner of Get Driven, a chauffeur service.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2022

Mark de Smedt

Mark de Smedt

Adecco
Regional head of Northern Europe

Mark de Smedt is Adecco’s regional head of Northern Europe. He served as Adecco Group chief HR officer from January 2014 until March 2016. He joined Adecco in March 2009 as country manager for Belgium and Luxembourg and was a founder of professional staffing specialist XPE Group, acquired by Adecco. Before this, he was responsible for Adecco’s Benelux operations between 2002 and 2007. Before joining the staffing industry, de Smedt held various executive positions at Wang, Apple, Citibank and Scoot in France, Spain and Belgium.

Philip Gracco

Philip Gracco

Accent Jobs
Co-Founder and CEO

Philip Gracco is the co-founder and CEO of Accent Jobs, a Belgian staffing group. He negotiated the entry of the private equity firm Gimv into the group’s capital in 2006 (which exited in 2012), an investment that boosted Accent’s growth and profitability.

Mark Maeson

Mark Maeson

Actief Group
CEO
Belgian

Staffing 100 Europe | 2020

Mark Maesen is CEO of Belgium-based Actief Group, a €600 million staffing company active in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. Maesen in 2020 became CEO of Actief Interim, the group’s brand in Belgium, bringing leadership experience as former CEO of Sara Lee. In 2015, he became CEO of Actief Group. The company has continued to expand and make acquisitions and now employs more than 20,000 temporary workers on a daily basis. Maesen is also closely involved with the Private Art Support Foundation, which collects, preserves and discloses works of art by Belgian artists.

Mark Verstraete

Mark Verstraete

T-Groep
Managing Director

Mark Verstraete is the managing director of T-Groep, the sixth-largest staffing firm in Belgium and the 31st largest in Europe with operations in the Netherlands and Poland. In 2008, Verstraete led the acquisition of the Dutch privately held human resource company Luba by T-Groep, starting its international expansion and strengthening its position in the Benelux market for personnel services.

Rika Coppens

Rika Coppens

House of HR
CEO
Belgian

As a result of Rika Coppens’ leadership, the House of HR sustained its pre-Covid profitability at 11% EBITDA/sales and entered summer 2021 with its best June ever. As CEO since 2017, Coppens continues to lead the company on its acquisitions path, having completed five acquisitions in the first seven months of 2021. She is also a member and chair of the staffing board at Federgon, the Belgian federation of HR service providers; and a board member of Colruyt Group, Euronext BV, La Lorraine Bakery Group and Jobroad iVZW.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Patrick De Maeseneire

Patrick De Maeseneire

Adecco Group
CEO

Patrick De Maeseneire rejoined the Adecco Group as CEO in 2009. He had held leading positions within the Adecco Group between 1998 and 2002, starting as country manager for the Benelux region before leading the Adecco Group’s worldwide professional staffing business from New York. De Maeseneire served as CEO of Barry Callebaut from 2002 to 2009 and in 2007, he was granted the title of Baron by King Albert II of Belgium. From 1980 to 1997, De Maeseneire held executive positions at Sun International and Apple Computer, as well as senior positions at Wang in Belgium and Arthur Andersen Consulting.

Herwig Muyldermans

Herwig Muyldermans

Federgon
General Director

Herwig Muyldermans is the general director of Federgon, the Belgian staffing association. He plays a central role in negotiating with the Belgian government and its social partners on behalf of the Belgian staffing industry. In 2014, his perseverance resulted in the removal of one of the last restrictions to temporary agency work in the country: The coalition government announced that staffing providers would be able to provide services to the public sector. Before joining the association in 1990, he occupied senior positions at the Belgian association representing the clothing industry.