2021

Sergio Picarelli

Sergio Picarelli

The Adecco Group
President, Talent Solutions
Italian

Prior to being promoted to The Adecco Group’s president of talent solutions in January 2021, Sergio Picarelli was responsible for global leadership of Lee Hecht Harrison, Spring Professional and Badenoch & Clark. Picarelli joined Adecco in Italy in 1993 as country director. In 1997, he was appointed chief sales and marketing director, Italy. From 2002 to 2004, Picarelli served as regional head for Central Europe and was thereafter appointed chief operating officer of Adecco Staffing Division Worldwide. From 2005 to 2009, he served as country manager of Adecco Italy and Switzerland (Switzerland until the end of 2008).

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Ingrid Hofmann

Ingrid Hofmann

Hofmann Corp.
Founder & CEO
German

Ingrid Hofmann is CEO of Hofmann Corp., parent company of global staffing and recruiting agency I.K. Hofmann (also known as Hofmann Personal), which she founded in 1985 in Nuremberg, Germany. She expanded rapidly into Eastern Germany upon the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. That same year, the birth of her daughter led to her commitment to make the worlds of work and family compatible. I.K. Hofmann is the fifth-largest staffing firm in Germany and the 22nd largest in Europe. In 2007, Hofmann was awarded the Federal Order of Merit by then-Federal President Horst Köhler.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Dinette Koolhaas

Dinette Koolhaas

Kelly
SVP and President, Kelly International
Dutch

A global staffing leader, Dinette Koolhaas is senior VP and president of Kelly International, a role she assumed in 2020. Formerly, she was VP and managing director, EMEA. Based in Switzerland, Koolhaas is focused on driving growth strategies across Kelly operations in Europe, Russia, Mexico and Brazil. Last year, under Koolhaas’ leadership, Kelly successfully executed Kelly Anywhere, a programme designed in 2019 to adopt remote working wholly. Koolhaas was recognized by SIA on its Global Power 150 — Women in Staffing 2020 list and serves on the board of the World Employment Confederation.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Mark Maesen

Mark Maesen

Actief Group
CEO
Belgian

In 2000, Mark Maesen was appointed CEO of Belgium-based Actief Interim, now the Actief Group, a €700 million staffing company active in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. During his tenure, the company has continued to expand and make acquisitions, and it now employs more than 20,000 temporary workers on a daily basis in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria under the Actief Interim, Actief Werkt!, Actief Personalmanagement and Actief Jobmade brand names. Maesen is also closely involved with the Private Art Support Foundation, which collects, preserves and discloses works of art by Belgian artists.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Herman Nijns

Herman Nijns

Randstad NV; World Employment Confederation-Europe
CEO, Randstad Belgium & Luxembourg, President WEC-E
Belgian

Herman Nijns is CEO of Randstad Belgium and Luxembourg and is president of the World Employment Confederation – Europe, a regional organization that represents the European staffing industry. Nijns also served from 2017 to 2020 as president of Federgon, the Belgian staffing industry association. Nijns started in staffing in 1988 at Interlabor Interim, a part of Randstad. He has led Randstad Group BeLux since 2005. This past May, Nijns added Denmark, Norway and Sweden to his list of responsibilities. He aims to strengthen the image of the World Employment Confederation – Europe through evidence-based thought leadership and a broader representation of HR Services.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Patrick Tiessen

Patrick Tiessen

Nétive
Co-Founder & CEO
Dutch

Patrick Tiessen began Nétive, a VMS provider, with two customers; today, the organisation has more than 200. As co-founder and CEO, Tiessen continues to expand the company by opening offices in Rijswijk, the Netherlands and London. He has held key positions at The Next Flex and HR Puzzle and also worked at Kelly as an international IT manager. Passionate about entrepreneurship, Tiessen believes in maintaining transparency and focuses on making software to support all facets of recruiting, selecting, contracting and managing permanent and temporary employees. Nétive was featured in the Best Small Workplaces 2020 list in the Netherlands.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Iwona Szmitkowska

Iwona Szmitkowska

Work Service
President of the Management Board
Polish

As president of Work Service from March 2019 to August 2020, Iwona Szmitkowska led the company through a restructuring process and was a key player in the majority stake acquisition of Work Service by Gi Group. Returning to her role of president in January 2021, she turned her focus within the Polish market on automation of HR processes, HR restructuring, recruitment and outsourcing. Associated with Work Service since 2003, she is also president of the Work Service Foundation and since 2017 has been the president of the management board of the Employment Agencies Association, the largest Polish organisation specializing in delivering HR.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Bettina Schaller

Bettina Schaller

Head of Group Public Affairs, The Adecco Group
President, World Employment Confederation
Swiss

Bettina Schaller heads the group public affairs activities of The Adecco Group. She is also president of the World Employment Confederation as well as WEC-Europe and has been involved in the governance of the WEC for 10 years. In addition, she is a member of the B20 Employment and Education Task Force; cochair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Business and Industry Advisory Committee Employment Labour and Social Affairs committee; steering group member on the World Economic Forum Center for New Economy and Society; steering group member of the Global Apprenticeship Network and president of the American Swiss Young Leaders Alumni Foundation.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

James Saoulli

James Saoulli

Rullion
CEO
British

James Saoulli is CEO of Rullion, the 17th largest recruitment company in the UK with £374 million in 2019 revenue. The company helps UK businesses and public-sector organisations recruit people for specialist permanent and temporary roles. Saoulli held several leadership roles in Rullion Management Services and Rullion Solutions before becoming the CEO in 2017. Under his leadership, the company has launched several programmes aimed at modernisation and business growth. Pre-Covid, Rullion introduced its remote working policy for all employees, and this has served the company well.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021

Phillip Ullmann

Phillip Ullmann

Cordant Group
Chief Energiser
British

Chief Energiser Phillip Ullmann has made his mark transforming the family business, Cordant Group, into a social one. In 2017, he introduced a set of measures to reflect that — including capping executive pay and its dividend. Two years later, Ullmann and his team wrote Cordant’s Social Impact Report, mapping a five-point strategy to improve work opportunities with a focus on purpose, not profits, and launching a campaign to implement the real living wage. Cordant Group was acquired by Twenty20 Investors in 2020; while Ullmann remains chief energiser, he established Covenant Advisory, an independent consultancy that advises business leaders on their social purpose.

Staffing 100 Europe | 2021