Leadership Overhaul for World Employment Confederation-Europe

Members of the World Employment Confederation-Europe have elected Sonja van Lieshout, global head of public affairs at Randstad, as their new President. Sonja is a well-known face within WEC circles, having served in governance at both global and European level since 2018.

“I am honored to take up the role as WEC-Europe President for the next three years. During a time of profound changes across societies, I am confident that our industry holds a distinctive capability to support policymakers, employers, and talent in successfully navigating labour markets as committed partners. Ensuring equitable access to fair and quality employment opportunities for everyone is a crucial goal which I am delighted to continue pursuing with a strong, dedicated team,” reacts Sonja van Lieshout.

The governance of the World Employment Confederation-Europe is going through a major overhaul for 2024. Not only has the composition of the Executive Committee been enlarged from seven to nine members, but most of these ExCo members are joining the institution’s executive body for the first time. Those newly elected members include:

• Kate Shoesmith, REC/UK (Vice-President – from a national federation)
• Antonio Bonardo, Gi Group Holding (Vice-President – from a corporate member)
• Laura Spangenberg, ABU/NL (Chairwoman of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee)
• Isabelle Eynaud-Chevalier, Prism’emploi/FR (regular member)
• Sébastien van Dyk, ManpowerGroup) (regular member)
• Jakob Tietge, Dansk Erhverv/DK (regular member)

“I look forward to putting my experience and knowledge of institutional issues relating to the promotion of the role of private employment agencies within labour markets across Europe, to get WEC-Europe recognized by European stakeholders as an authoritative voice on employment and social policies,” declares Antonio Bonardo, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Gi Group Holding, and WEC-Europe’s new Vice-President coming from a corporate member.

“This leadership role within the World Employment Confederation-Europe reflects our commitment to Europe. Regardless of the political context, Europe remains a major trading partner for the United Kingdom. We’ll offer our perspective and our support to build better, more inclusive labour markets that support economic and social growth,” states Kate Shoesmith, Deputy Chief Executive at REC, and WEC-Europe’s new Vice-President coming from a national federation.

Menno Bart from The Adecco Group, current Chairman of WEC-Europe’s Public Affairs Committee, as well as Agostino Di Maio from Assolavoro/Italy, regular ExCo member, were both re-elected for a second mandate. All members of the Executive Committee are elected for a three-year term. WEC-Europe is one of six regional organisations that are part of the global Confederation.

For a full overview of WEC-Europe’s new Executive Committee, consult this webpage.