On Thursday 16th March 2023, we hosted a virtual Q&A session with Clémence Jacqueri, the CHRO People & Culture at Lynk & Co in Amsterdam.

Our Human Resources recruitment team in the Netherlands was joined by Clémence to discuss Remote Working & Wellbeing in the Workplace.

We discussed the following topics, as well as answering questions from attendees:

• How best to manage remote teams effectively
• Strategies on keeping colleagues engaged while working from home
• Wellbeing initiatives & how best to drive these in a business
• The potential impact the current economic climate can have on colleagues at work & how to support them

Clémence explained the importance of communication through three tiers of the organisation: one-to-ones with direct reports, meetings and watercooler-style interactions with your team, and organisation-wide meetings. 

She has seen the move in Compensation & Benefits towards health and wellbeing packages, but is insistent that companies must avoid a one-size-fits-all model and ask for feedback from their people. For example, working from home may have improved work-life balance for some employees, but can remove personal boundaries for others.

Clémence described company culture like an ice cream sundae; we look at the candy on the top first (which could be office pool tables, coffee machines and free breakfasts), but it's the everyday behaviours and policies that shape a culture - whether people work remotely or in the office. 

We also found out which initiative is proving particularly successful at Lynk & Co. 

As we firmly enter post-pandemic working life, this is a topic that is regularly coming up with our clients and candidates. In her recent Executive Interview, Clémence explained how Lynk & Co is successfully leading its remote workers: https://www.emearecruitment.com/executive-interviews/clemence-jacqueri-chro-people-and-culture-at-lynk-and-co/141

If you’re interested in attending similar events in the future, please reach out to Katie, who will provide you with more information: [email protected] 

On Tuesday 8th February 2022, EMEA Recruitment hosted a virtual Q&A with Talent Acquisition leaders from Danone and Upfield.

Talent Acquisition functions are experiencing a time like never before, fuelled by the competition for top talent and the great resignation.

Katie Insley, our Associate Director of Human Resources recruitment in the Netherlands, was joined by Koos Wurzer, Global Head of Employer Branding and Candidate Experience at Danone, and Bianca Eder, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Upfield, to discuss some of the key topics in the world at TA at present, as well as addressing some audience questions.

Bianca explored how technology is changing the recruitment role, but insisted that the fundamentals of Talent Acquisition remain the same and will stand the test of tech.

Koos went on to explain the impact of a good candidate experience during the recruitment process on employer brand. He believes that candidates look for an atmosphere that they can grow and belong in.

Katie also asked both Bianca and Koos for their advice to TA professionals hoping to move into leadership roles; while Bianca focussed on the soft skills needed, Koos insisted the importance of putting in hard work.

The Q&A finished with a question around how Bianca and Koos like to work with recruitment agencies.

Thank you to all those who attended this virtual Talent Acquisition Q&A, hosted in partnership with Danone and Upfield.

If you are interested in attending similar events in the future, please get in touch with Katie, who will ensure you stay up to date: [email protected]

Alternatively, if you work in the Swiss market, please contact Keely Straw, Associate Director, who will be happy to help: [email protected]

Thank you to Koos Wurzer and Bianca Eder for offering their valuable insights to our network and for a truly engaging discussion on the evolving world of Talent Acquisition.

On Tuesday 29th November 2022, we hosted a virtual event for our Human Resources network on Responsible Reward.

Responsible Reward: Driving your ESG Agenda was brought to you in partnership with Reward Value, a non-profit research initiative that believes that current executive compensation practices no longer fit the societal context in which companies operates.

We explored how to develop a Compensation and Reward strategy to help drive the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda within your organisation.

Katie Insley, Associate Director in our HR recruitment division in the Netherlands was the host for this event. She was joined by Reward Value’s Managing Director & Founder, Frederic Barge, and Professor of Reward Management & Sustainability at Vlerick Business School, Xavier Baeten.

Both speakers presented their thoughts and experiences, before we opened up the discussion with a Q&A session.

Alternatively, if you’re interested in attending future events – either virtually or in person – please reach out to Katie, who will send you details.

Learn More about our Speakers

Frederic Barge

Frederic founded Reward Value in 2018. In cooperation with all stakeholders, Reward Value aims to contribute to a much-needed redesign of executive compensation practices.

Frederic’s career began in the banking sector, before he became HR Director of Diageo in 2003. He has since been the Global Head Performance & Reward at ING, Head Reward & Performance Management at ABN AMRO Bank and SVP Total Rewards at Ahold Delhaize.

Xavier Baeten

Xavier has master’s degrees in Economics, and Tax and Accountancy. He has been Professor of Reward Management & Sustainability at Vlerick Business School for over 28 years, having joined in 1994.

Xavier is also a Member of the External Sustainability Board at KBC Bank, Chairman of the Remuneration Committee at the APB-Belgian Pharmaceutical Association, and Member of the Remuneration Committee at VGD.

On Thursday 29th September 2022, EMEA Recruitment attended the Recruiter Awards in London.

The Recruiter Awards was established in 2002. It has become the UK’s largest event for the entire recruitment community, recognising outstanding achievements by agencies and in-house recruiters.

We were delighted to be shortlisted in the Best Professional Services Recruitment Agency category, recognising outstanding service through recruitment solutions to sectors such as Accountancy, Human Resources and Procurement.

Paul Toms, our Founder, took a group of our Administration and Marketing team to the event, to acknowledge the hard work that goes into our operations behind the scenes.

Attending was Sarah James, our Office Manager, Victoria Minns, Accounts & Payroll Executive, Laura Henderson, Attraction & Development Consultant, and Rose Jinks, Marketing Manager.

We’d also like to extend our appreciation to all of our clients and candidates that provided testimonials and case studies for our application – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Following a fantastic evening, Paul said: “A great night, even though we didn’t scoop an award. Thanks so much for all the hard work behind the scenes to get us nominated – next time!”

Sarah added: “What a great night out and an honour to be nominated. Well done to everyone in the company that worked so hard towards our nomination.”

The Recruiter Awards was held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House on Park Lane, London. The evening kicked off with a drinks reception, followed by a three-course meal, entertainment by comedian Angela Barnes, and the awards ceremony.

Now in its 20th year, the Recruiter Awards has presented over 500 prizes to agencies and in-house recruiters, as well as marketing and technology excellence.

The Great Room at Grosvenor House is a perfect setting to celebrate with colleagues and network across the industry.

We would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners and fellow shortlisted attendees on the night, as well as congratulating the Recruiter Awards on its 20th anniversary!

EMEA Recruitment was proud to host an exclusive, virtual Procurement & Supply Chain Roundtable discussing Women in Leadership on Tuesday 30th November 2021.

Charlotte Cruise, one of our Senior Consultants in Procurement & Supply Chain recruitment, was joined by key leaders from across Switzerland to host an open discussion between our guests.

We hope to build a Procurement & Supply Chain community within Switzerland that is committed to supporting and advancing women within these departments and functions.

To ensure a confidential and sensitive environment, the group split off into three breakout rooms to discuss the following questions in more detail, before bringing their different points of view back to the main group:

1. What are the main challenges you can identify to creating a diverse workforce and supporting women into leadership roles?
2. What are you doing to provide women with opportunities within Procurement & Supply Chain to progress into senior leadership? 

Helping lead this discussion were:

Alejandra Garcia, VP Global Procurement at DSM

Pauline King, Swiss Country Partner at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply

Varsha Asarpota, Women Leadership – Core Team Member at CIPS Switzerland

We are committed to creating a supportive environment for senior departmental leaders, motivated on this topic, to connect and network. In order to continue this important conversation after the event, we shared attendee details with the rest of the group.

Charlotte hopes to host Procurement & Supply Chain roundtables once a quarter for our network, to discuss some of these topics in further detail. If you are interested in either attending as a guest or a speaker, please let us know. 

If you have any questions about this event or would like to register your interest in future roundtables, please contact Charlotte: [email protected]

On Wednesday 6^th September 2023, we were invited to speak at the CIPS Switzerland Are you fit to be CPO? event in Zurich.

The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) brought together Procurement leaders from across Switzerland to discuss the concept of career progression and how to obtain the role you want in the future.

We were joined at the event by CIPS Switzerland’s Pauline King and Varsha Asarpota, as well as two fantastic speakers:

• Giuliana Orsini – Chief Procurement Officer at TE Connectivity
• Jay Han – Previously the Human Resources Business Partner at Deloitte

Speaking on behalf of EMEA Recruitment was Neil Cope, Director of our Procurement & Supply Chain recruitment division in Switzerland, and Charlotte Cruise, Senior Consultant, who specialises in Procurement roles across Switzerland.

Neil and Charlotte presented a summary of the employment market in Switzerland, looking at the type of company currently hiring, the level of seniority most in demand, and the changing skillsets required by our clients.

We also highlighted some key statistics on the current strength of the employment market within Procurement & Supply Chain.

Neil and Charlotte then took delegates through a pared back version of EMEA’s Career Pyramid, which is a tool we use with candidates when providing a bespoke Career Consultation. This gave attendees a basic understanding of typical career progression within Procurement & Supply Chain, highlighting the skills and relationships they might need to become a Chief Procurement Officer.

We are planning a follow-up webinar to this event, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss their own career paths in more detail. If you would like to learn more about this event, please reach out to Neil: [email protected]

We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with CIPS Switzerland, having sponsored the joint CIPS, CSCMP, and Kanton Zug conference for the past seven years. We are sponsoring the next annual conference on Thursday 26^th October 2023.