"HeadFirst Group is a friendly club of hard-working people. I am confident that we will shape public affairs in the right way."
Sem Overduin | Public Affairs Officer
Studying and at the same time applying his knowledge in practice, that appealed to Sem Overduin. On the soccer field he got into a conversation with former colleagues about a possible assignment in the field of public affairs at HeadFirst Group. "These colleagues indicated that there were a number of issues I could help with. Since I was almost finished with my studies, I thought it would be very interesting to gain some work experience already. I then started with a research design, looking at the development points for HeadFirst Group in the area of public affairs," says Sem.
Public Affairs within the organization
For HeadFirst Group public affairs is a relatively new concept, but not for Sem: "During my studies I came into contact with this field several times and during one of my internships my interest in it was really triggered. I find the interaction between stakeholders in politics, political-social changes and the way policy is created in the Netherlands very interesting. It is especially fun to be allowed to think along in how this is then translated to business." Sem therefore sees his role as a nice challenge: "Public affairs means that I keep an eye on what is going on within politics and how you have to take this into account as an organization. The next step is to influence policy and decision-making processes. We also put topics and issues on the agenda of political and social stakeholders. A good example is the balanced labor market act (WAB), which came into effect on January 1, 2020. This is much talked about in The Hague and has an impact on the services of HeadFirst Group. We also have the ongoing discussion about the DBA Act and recently the Borstlap committee came up with a report full of proposals and recommendations. A lot is happening, and therefore I follow the developments, advise the organization and see how it can convey its opinion and experience to politicians."
Advance
After the investigation, Sem fortunately did not take leave yet. HeadFirst Group asked him to lay a foundation for the public affairs officer position. "Little to nothing is being done now with public affairs, and there is no one yet who focuses solely on politics," Sem explained. "I actually find this very interesting and think it's good to be visible in politics as a market leader, and to profile yourself on issues that are relevant to the organization. Important choices are made in The Hague. As an organization, you have to be aware of these in order to identify opportunities and threats in time. Furthermore, it is good to have someone in-house who understands how policy is created and how the government system works. After all, it is becoming increasingly complex."
"HeadFirst Group is getting bigger and bigger and therefore important to have a say and think in politics. Conversely, politicians need information from the market to make policy."
Incentive employer
Sem joined HeadFirst Group by chance, but is really enjoying it. "I have a lot of respect for the organization and the trust they are giving me to fulfill this new role. Surely this shows that it supports its employees and wants them to develop. I am very grateful to HeadFirst Group for the flexibility so that I could gain this experience alongside my studies. This gives me a head start in the work field," Sem said. He also likes to let these positive experiences grow even more: "Public affairs is currently still at zero, or in its infancy. Now is the time to change that. That is sometimes pioneering and I am very much looking forward to getting started. Whether I will continue with it afterwards and develop further in the field of public affairs? I am not sure yet. At the moment I am still being challenged every day and we have really taken off!''
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