Marjon van Happen

A bold journey towards the next world of work

At HeadFirst Group, we believe that the potential of our people is limitless. To fully unlock that potential, we need more than a vision: we need a customer-first approach, the right technology, and, most importantly a high performing team. Together with our colleagues of Impellam Group, we are well-positioned to achieve our ambitious goal of becoming the leading global HR tech ecosystem.

2024: the power of collaboration

Just as President Kennedy boldly declared the ambition in 1962 to land on the moon; last year, we set our sights on similar high goals. He said, "We must be bold" – and that is exactly what we are. Our journey is built on collaboration. We are creating a movement that is bigger than the sum of its parts, we too are shaping the future of work through collective effort. In 2024, we redesigned our organisation fit for the next phase of growth to leading the European HR tech market and expanding our technology globally.

Despite a slight slowdown in our company's year-on-year growth relative to previous years, the 2024 outcome represents a noteworthy achievement, especially in light of the overall market contraction of around 8%. We demonstrated our commitment to sustainability by earning a gold EcoVadis rating, bringing us closer to our goal of a more responsible future.

We published reports on the evolution of the labour market, providing in-depth insights into the international perspective on the contingent workforce and the changing environment for self-employed professionals in the Netherlands. This further emphasises our crucial role as a thought leader in this evolving landscape, where hiring independent professionals is certainly still possible. Additionally, our report on the economic and social value of self-employment has provided key insights into the growing freelance economy, helping us to better understand the future of work.

2024 was also a year of innovation. We launched Striive, our groundbreaking new branded platform set to revolutionise the flexible labour market. Furthermore, we celebrated our recognition as a Great Place to Work once again, underlining our commitment to our people.

These milestones solidified our position as an industry leader, committed to both business success and societal impact.

2025: reaching new heights

Looking ahead to 2025, we are more determined than ever to pursue our mission. We aim to become the most prominent Global HR tech ecosystem and, together with Impellam Group, we have everything we need to achieve that. We have the vision, the technology, and the people to transform the world of work, and we are ready to take the next big step.

In 2025, we will focus on further digitalising our processes—from sourcing and matching to contracting and paying independent professionals and suppliers. Automation and Agentic-AI will play a central role in improving our operational efficiency, while we continue to put our personal touch first to provide the value that our clients, independent professionals, and partners expect from us. Our goal is to seamlessly combine technology and human interaction to create the most valuable customer journey possible.

We will further expand our services and technologies and we will take our proprietary platforms—Striive, ProUnity, and OpenTalent—global. This is the foundation upon which we will continue to build our ambition: to create an HR tech platform that will not only dominate Europe but ultimately conquer the world.

People collaboration and innovation: the power behind our growth

To realise this ambition, we must keep on innovating and collaborating. Just like in the 1960s, when no one knew exactly how the moon landing would unfold, today we also don’t know exactly how the future will look. But one thing we do know: it won’t happen without collaboration and boldness.

In 2025, we will continue to implement our five-bold step strategy, ensuring that every department within HeadFirst Group is fully aligned with our shared mission. We have simplified our organisation and restructured it into one unified team, all focused on one task: to dominate the HR tech market in Europe and roll out our technology worldwide. We have set ambitious growth targets, aiming for more than 25,000 contracts with over 500 clients. This ambition requires a collective effort from everyone in the company. Each of us has a crucial role to play in the success of our organisation.

As CEO, I am immensely proud to continue this journey alongside our leaders—Renger Lammers as CCO, Arco Elsman as COO, Willem Verhaagen as CFO —and their teams. Their focus and passion for innovation will be key to achieving our goals in 2025. But more importantly, it is the power of collaboration, where every team member contributes to our shared success, that will drive us forward.

The future: charting the course ahead

The time is now. We have laid the foundation in 2024 for double-digit growth in 2025, with a customer-first approach at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to invest in the development of our people and technologies, ensuring that we can perform at our best as a team. In addition, we became a certified B Corp, a testament to our focus on social and environmental impact. The most important thing is that we keep on learning every day.

Looking back on my own journey and how I have helped build HeadFirst Group, I see many parallels with the path we are taking as a company. My passion for technology and innovation, combined with a focus on customer satisfaction, led to the creation of the first platforms that later inspired much of the technology we develop today.

In 2025, we will carry on with our ambitious plans, and I am confident that together, as one team, we will realise our goals. The journey to the top of the HR tech market has begun, and with our collective efforts and passion, we will make our ambitions a reality.

Hoofddorp, 22 July 2025

Marion van Happen
CEO HeadFirst Group