November 2024 | Written by – Ariel Slaughter
The HirePeopleNotPaper closing event for Women for Women ’s-Hertogenbosch was an amazing way to wrap up the first edition of our innovative female empowerment and mentorship program! Throughout the event, government officials, Ambassadors, Talents, and companies gathered to discuss more than just their challenges, but also their hopes for the future of work for all stakeholders in the city.
After a short welcome and introduction to the topic of spouses and internationalization, by Kavitha Varathan, CEO and co-founder of Expat Spouses Initiative (ESI) and Living In coordinator of northeast Brabant, Joyce Berkel, Alina Totti took to the stage.
Dare to Reframe and Reinvent Yourself
Alina has been a long–time supporter and Ambassador for the Women for Women program, but her journey has not always been easy. Like many internationals, she struggled to find herself in the Netherlands. Even after more than a year unemployed and studying Dutch intensively she said, “I still could not find a job, even though I graduated from one of the top five universities in the world and had worked in the European Parliament.“
She persevered and eventually landed a project for Provincie Noord Brabant based on a problem she recognized for Eastern European labour migrants while volunteering. “The province was very, very reluctant to do anything with me…But after four months, they agreed to give me a short-term contract and to start a study about East European workers in the Netherlands.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
“At the moment, I’m working for the province of North Brabant. I’m in the team for international relations. We are the team that looks outside of Brabant and is trying to make sure that we are able to work together.”
Alina’s story is full of the highs and lows that many internationals face, she stresses the importance of reinvention and self-discovery. “To the foreigners in the room, I want to say to not lose hope because with time, the planets do align if you do your work. And if you learn Dutch, I cannot stress that enough. But do lose the perception that you cannot reinvent yourself and you cannot reframe yourself as something else. I was a journalist. I became a bureaucrat. And now, I’m an ‘internationalizing’.”
Read about Alina’s career journey: When Passion, Perseverance, and Politics Collide
‘s-Hertogenbosch: A City in Transition
Next, attendees heard from Alderman Ralph Geers for ‘s-Hertogenbosch who amongst other topics is responsible for the economy, environment, and digitalisation. He has also been supportive of the launch of Women for Women Den Bosch since the beginning.
His speech began with a little bit of the cultural significance of the city and its history of reimaging itself. “Because we’re a historic city. It gives us a lot of character…and it also determines our economy, and how are we doing things here…We’re used to using our strengths to build new things, and that’s what happens here too. You’ve got the old cookie company [de Verkadefabriek]; we’re not demolishing it, but we’re transforming it into this cultural organization…combining the past and the future.”
As the economy in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the surrounding area transition, he passionately emphasized the social and professional need of internationals to accelerate that transition. “The future of the region, and the future of our economy, also depends on [international talent] …For us, in the region, it’s very important to acknowledge that international talent is important… We have to be socially and environmentally more sustainable for the future. And that transition requires new talents, new types of people, and new enterprises to make that transition happen.”
Lastly, he thanked the Ambassadors for their support, and the part they’ve played in helping ‘s-Hertogenbosch attract and retain international talent. “I want to extend my special thanks to the ambassadors. You devote your time and expertise to other people… because you find it important. You make that extra step; you’re making an impact on your own in a way by being an ambassador for this program. And it’s really, really great and we’re very proud that we have such fine ambassadors that are willing to do so… I would like a big applause for those ambassadors because you make the difference.”
Talent Spotlight
Of course, no event for Women for Women can end without hearing from the experienced, skilled and diverse Talents from Den Bosch. The first edition compromised nine Talents, three of whom shared their professional experiences and their future career ambitions, or ‘pitches.’
Miracle Meijs: “I realized I want to be a part of the people who shape the world, who help their stories become bestsellers. After earning my degree in the social sciences and completing a data analytics course, I am eager to help organizations uncover meaningful insights from their customer data as a data analyst. If you’re ready to uncover the hidden stories in your data and shape a world where your customers thrive, I’m excited to be part of that journey.”
Gita Ostermann: “I’m a passionate learning and development specialist from Indonesia. I grew up in a family of educators. So, I witnessed firsthand how education can really improve someone’s life…With my academic background in psychology, I have experiences teaching and also learning and working in education sector… And, with my commitment to a lifelong learning, I’m trying to create impactful and inclusive learning experiences for students. I hope that I can bridge the cultural gaps and foster mental well-being.”
Eda Louisa Kucuk: “I want to explain my route to the job that I found. It actually started six years ago when I came to the Netherlands to study industrial engineering. I found the Woman for Woman program, so I decided to join. And in the meantime, I still had in my mind, Philips. Then I found my Ambassador who’s also working at Philips. And the day I met her was the day I got the email for my last round of interview. In the end, I got the job. And I’ll be working as a manufacturing engineer at Philips…I’m really happy to explain that this program helped me a lot to make me more confident and make me the person I am right now.”
The Future of Recruitment with Draw B.V.
Kavitha briefly explains how ESI met Arnoud Luijsterburg from D.R.A.W. Telecom Specialist, “This story is just a few months ago when we were organizing the Hire People Not Paper event in Helmond. This event is for companies and talents to connect and to explore job vacancies and opportunities in general.” From this event, several people found jobs. Arnoud is the director of one of them. His company does things a bit differently when it comes to recruitment.
Arnoud said, “We were not looking at resumes. We use game-based assessments that look at skills. And that looks at who are you as a person and if you match with our philosophy…I’m very proud of this philosophy and it works. We are a very young Dutch company. But I didn’t think we do things a little bit differently than the others, but I was surprised.” But D.R.A.W. does do things differently, so much so that they were nominated for the AANtWERK Award this year.
Kavitha: “I mean just to talk a bit about closing the loop, I mentioned that the work that we do is really about connections and finding people who are willing to somewhat stick their neck out and take a chance.” This means connecting with forward-thinking like D.R.A.W.
Spouses are Top Talent
When the Expat Spouses Initiative first began, dual career opportunities for migrating international talent were not a topic. But we persisted because it has enormous potential. Kavitha said, “In many ways, and even from back then, we always kept reiterating the message, along with the Living In program in Eindhoven, that spouses are talent.”
“Just to give the scale of this topic, in Brabant, a report released by the province, by Holland Expat Centre South last year, the Decisio Report... Just in Brabant, there is an estimated 23,000 income-dependent spouses and partners. If you think that’s a big number, the report does not include EU spouses and partners, and it does not include a lot of partners and spouses end up working way below their level. So they may not get a job that they studied for, but they might take a job as in Flink or PostNL or Alber Heijn and so on.”
We have seen that happen many times over, which is why the Expat Spouses Initiative was founded and offers career acceleration programs like the Women for Women program.
Stronger Together
Alderman Marielle van Alphen from Boxel took the stage next to thank the Ambassadors for their participation on behalf of the region. Within the Gemeente she is responsible for Economy and Employment, District Alderman for Center, Breukelen, Kalksheuvel, De Oksel, and the First Deputy Mayor.
“I would like to say that I believe in each person, and that means that there’s a lot of power in this room today, and I believe in all of you. I really hope that all of you can find a really nice job, but very important, to make a difference. The job is one but a nice life, it’s very important for all of us and I really hope that you all find your way to that purpose.”
She personally thanks all the Den Bosch Ambassadors Afnan Amrani, Silvia Costa Gonzalez, Rosemary Da Silva Faes, Nicole Moviat, Alina Toti, Beata Wandachowicz-Krason, Laura Bordonaro, Carlijn Kloppenburg, and Daisy Perez Esparza with kind words and a bouquet of flowers.
The event concluded with a discussion aimed at understanding the needs of internationals in the southeast Brabant region and a networking borrel.
A New Beginning for Inclusive Workforce Growth
The HirePeopleNotPaper event represents more than just the end of the Women for Women Den Bosch program—it marks the beginning of a brighter future for women, international talents, and companies in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. By fostering collaboration between governments, ambassadors, and professionals, it highlights the growing importance of diversity and internationalization in shaping the future of work. The success stories and the strong partnerships formed offer hope and inspiration for continued growth, proving that with perseverance, innovation, and support, a more inclusive and dynamic workforce can be achieved for all.
Author Profile
A natural storyteller and aficionado of the written word, Ariel Slaughter works as a freelance writer and editor. She has a dual Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Rhetoric and Japanese Literature and Language from the University of Pittsburgh as well as a Master’s of Arts in International Relations from the International University of Japan.