"Sustainability is not a department, it is something that should flow throughout the organization."
Gemma Keijzer | Head of Sustainability & Certifications
Gemma (40) is committed to making HeadFirst Group more sustainable. Thanks to her work, the organization achieved a gold Ecovadis medal and a B Corp certificate. This demonstrates HeadFirst Group's socially responsible entrepreneurship and active work to make a positive impact. Since July, Gemma has lived in Curaçao with her husband and two children. "We moved from Amersfoort. I now work remotely and it goes surprisingly well. It's nice that HeadFirst Group is flexible with that."
The route to HeadFirst Group
Gemma studied Language and Cultural Studies at Utrecht University. "There I learned to think analytically above all. That still helps me every day." After her studies, she started at a credit card company in the Internal Audit & Compliance department. "Interesting work, but I found that I liked coaching much more. During my studies, I had benefited greatly from conversations with my student advisor, and I wanted to be able to do the same for others."
Through an educational institution where she worked as a mentor, she advanced to head of customer service. "There I discovered how much I enjoyed improving processes. Creating reports, seeing how things could be done faster and better." That interest eventually led her to quality management. "I wanted out of the education sector and was approached by HeadFirst Group to set up quality management. That seemed super cool."
From certifications to sustainability
When Gemma started, HeadFirst had just acquired Between. "The organization had doubled in size. There were certificates everywhere, but no one owned them. That had to be centralized." She started with ISO certifications for quality and environment. "But soon there were also questions about sustainability. We had registrations with different brands such as FastFlex and Staffing MS on Ecovadis, but no one was managing that. Then I picked this up and made it a group registration."
Ecovadis is an international platform that rates companies on sustainability. You are scored on themes such as the environment, labor rights, ethics and sustainable sourcing. HeadFirst Group achieved a gold medal, making us one of the top five percent worldwide. "I'm really proud of that," says Gemma.
Working together for sustainable change
''Sustainability plays a role in every choice we make. Together with my colleagues from Team Legal, we ensure that we deal responsibly with human rights, fair policies and clear rules of conduct.'' Furthermore, Gemma works with Skip Seageart, he is responsible for Social Return on Investment. We work with diversity partners who employ people with a distance to the labor market, such as neurodiverse professionals or people with visual or hearing impairments. For example, we hired Jamey Blazer at Recruitment. He is deaf and works incredibly well within the team. These are really great examples of what you can do under the umbrella of sustainability.'' In addition, HR is an important sparring partner. "They provide data for our reports, from sick leave to job growth. But they are also involved in inclusive recruitment and mobility policy. Sometimes that requires challenging choices, for example if we want to reduce our carbon emissions. Then you really have to search together for solutions that are sustainable and workable."
"If you are curious, show initiative and enjoy working toward social growth, this is a place where you will quickly feel at home."
Growing and continuing to improve
Gemma's role has grown considerably in recent years. "We have gone from reactive to proactive. Sustainability requires continuous improvement." The same goes for our ISO certifications. "You have to demonstrate every year that you are making strides. If you stand still, you lose points. That keeps us on our toes and ensures that we continue to develop." HeadFirst Group's international expansion has broadened its field of work. "We now work together with Impellam and have to draw up a joint sustainability policy. That means coordinating with colleagues from England, America and Australia. Super interesting but also challenging, for example in terms of time zones. Yet above all it gives Gemma energy. "It shows that my work has meaning and continues to challenge."
B Corp
In addition to Ecovadis, HeadFirst Group also obtained the leading B Corp certificate. "This is a voluntary certification that shows that as an organization you really go the extra mile. We did a baseline measurement, were below the standard, and then made an improvement plan. One action point, for example, was to make our mobility policy more sustainable."
What B Corp gives us? "It forces you to look critically at your entire value chain, from suppliers to internal processes. We now actively assess whether our partners are also working sustainably and ethically. That makes us stronger, more transparent and more attractive to clients who take sustainability seriously."
Working at HeadFirst Group
"HeadFirst Group has become a lot more informal in recent years. Where people used to come to the office in suits, you now see sneakers and jeans. But the ambition has remained. We work hard, but also celebrate our successes. We do that with drinks and parties, but also with sporting events like Mud Masters and the Dam tot Damloop." Gemma especially appreciates the room for initiative. "You get a lot of freedom here to take things on. If you say, 'this is important,' you get the space to do so."