Event

Jorunn Aamodt, Global Communications Business Partner, Inter IKEA BV
Jorunn Aamodt is a Global Communications Business Partner at Inter IKEA BV, the worldwide franchisor of the IKEA brand. Originally from Norway, she moved to the Netherlands with her family in 2022 and boasts a diverse background in corporate communications across public, private, and non-profit sectors with over 15 years of communications experience and a deep understanding of how communication enables business goals and change.

Jorunn embraces new ideas and tools for communication, including emerging technologies. Following the launch of Chat-GPT, she has explored generative AI and the potential and challenges it poses in the field of corporate communications.
During 2023, Jorunn updated her skills with studies at Lund University, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Rotterdam School of Management, focusing on strategic communications, organizational culture and transformation, and the ethical implications of AI in society.

Elvira Luykx,  Founder and Consultant, NORTH/ EAST Group
Elvira is an experienced communications professional, with a track record in corporate affairs and communications within multinational companies, and a background in Public Affairs consultancy.
For companies such as Numico (Danone), Reckitt and DSM she entered into dialogue with their stakeholders, worked as a spokesperson, developed corporate positioning, set up global partnerships and guided them through crises.
In 2017 she started her own consulting company and has worked on global business transformations – communications and change management, communications and (re)branding – for FrieslandCampina and, more recently Versuni, formerly known as Philips Domestic Appliances.
Creating impact is her driving force, while aiming at achieving sustainable growth for people and business

Francine Rutgers, Co-founder/Managing Partner, Herman Rutgers Executive & Interim Search
After a career in communications on the agency side and in the corporate world, I decided to move into executive search in 2000. Founding Herman Rutgers Executive & Interim Search in 2008 brought the icing on the cake: entrepreneurship. Our agency is specialized in executive search for top positions in corporate affairs & communications across all types of sectors and industries. The added value of having the right corporate affairs or communications professional in the right place becomes particularly clear when the organization’s reputation is under pressure. This is when board members and communications directors need to be able to rely on each other’s understanding and trust.

That is why my interviews with candidates are not just about professional background and ambitions. Equally important is ‘what makes you tick’, in what situations you are at your best and how you work together.

Bringing people together who can add value to each other and the organization is a challenging puzzle for me every day.

Maartje Snellen, EACD Netherlands Country Chapter Lead
Maartje is a seasoned crisis management and corporate communication professional with extensive experience in mainly the food, FMCG, technology and energy industries. Before co-founding crisis management agency The New Edge, Maartje held several senior roles in crisis management and corporate communications at national, regional and global levels for companies including Shell, NAM-an ExxonMobil/Shell Joint venture-, Heineken and Burson-Marsteller. As a consultant, Maartje supported clients like Ahold Delhaize, Huawei Netherlands, Unilever, Royal Wessanen. Over her career, Maartje supported dozens of leadership teams implementing a robust crisis management capability -and in case of a crisis- a crisis management and/or communication response strategy.