Meet the Judges

Emma Braeye is Chief People Officer at Corilus, where she leads the development of high-performing teams and cultivates a global corporate culture through a “people-first” strategy. She collaborates closely with the management team to align HR initiatives with the company’s growth objectives. Worked previously at EPI Company and In The Pocket.

Throughout his career, Rob has combined commercial discipline with strong people leadership, firmly believing that sustainable performance is driven by aligned leadership and clear strategic direction. Today he supports organisations in making the right leadership choices — because organisations succeed or fail by the quality of their leaders. As a jury member of the Talent Business Awards, Rob brings a strategic lens, deep industry expertise and a strong conviction that performance and humanity reinforce one another.

Catherine De Caluwe is an accomplished business leader with extensive experience driving growth and cultural transformation within the STEM talent sector. Formerly Country Director Belux at SThree, her deep background in staffing and recruitment is driven by a passion for fostering inclusive, high-performing environments. Also an advocate for educational innovation as a board member at LAB-gedreven onderwijs, Catherine brings a holistic perspective to the jury, expertly bridging business performance, talent development, and organizational culture.

Stijn Dieusaert is the co-founder of Accende, where he helps organisations and individuals become more purpose-driven.

He previously held leadership roles at BASF, EuroChem, and Melexis, following his early career as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He also served as a Board Advisor to the specialised staffing company Ariad.

Sofie Van Eemeren began her career as a Recruitment Manager at Unilever before joining Hudson Belgium, where she advanced to Senior Consultant. Since 2014, she has been the HR & People Lead at Mobile Vikings, where she aligns HR strategies with business objectives and oversees daily HR operations to drive organizational success.

Femke De Vleeschouwer is Chief People Officer at Teamleader, bringing over 10 years of experience in the people and HR space. With a deep expertise in leadership development, organisational design, and talent acquisition, she has a proven track record of building the structures and teams that allow organisations to grow with purpose. Femke is passionate about the human side of business — believing that the right people, in the right roles, within well-designed organisations, are the true drivers of company success.

Birger Alaers brings several years of extensive experience in the HR sector. He has a proven track record at the management and executive level, in temporary staffing, recruitment, and business development, at companies within Group-f and House of HR. Birger has worked closely with trade unions, navigated complex social dynamics, and led major acquisitions. With a strategic mindset and a pragmatic approach, he remains dedicated to connecting businesses with the right talent.