Bert Koning

Revamp the product, EOL options, features and modules, improve security, re-packaging per target group, inteoduce best practicases and increase pricing.
Prepare the product and the organisation for a less hands on sales and implementation approach. These changes are the foundation for higher growth in Europe.

Transforming a traditional led 20 year old software company to a thoroughbred SAAS company.

Lead the transition of a founder led company and integrate it within the new owner a group of SAAS companies.

Founder & majority shareholder of OTYS wanted to sell the company. I led the M&A process from seller side. Company was sold in November 2021 to Mysolution. I continued to lead OTYS for the new owners.

Workforce Singapore (WSG) aims to help citizens of Singapore to find new jobs and careers. life long learning, periodic skills assessment and skill development are an important key in using a web based portal to assist the individual citizens in a personalised manner. The proof of concept (POC), I have designed together with my team and the team of WSG is aimed to test the proposed solutions. The POC has been a success and the project has been won by WCC.

VMST, The Directorate of Labour bears overall responsibility for public labour exchanges and handles day-to-day operations of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Maternity and Paternity Leave Fund, the Wage Guarantee Fund and many other projects connected with the labour market.
WCC won together with a SI partner the tender for renewal of the VMST platform. WCC will deliver jobmatching functionality.

Cinde received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank to develop a continuous learing platform in Costa Rica. The aim of the platform is towards companies/ employers. Futureup.com is the name of the platform developed during the project following the scoping and advisory phase.

Employment Service of Slovenia (ZRSZ) is the public employment agency in Slovenia. WCC won the tender for the procurement of software for enrolment, matching, referral and semantic search. The project and maintenance contract are for a period of 6 years.

Initially, in 2012, the main objective of HRDF was to transform the Saudi labour market, i.e. less dependence on foreign workers, more jobs for Saudi women and upskilling the Saudi labour force in general. They wanted an online platform that would not be less dependent on human intervention as e.g. the European systems. This meant an unprecedented level of online automation and digitalisation for any PES worldwide.

Created a new product for WCC called Employment Platform. Tested customer demand successfully both with prospects/ new clients and existing clients.

In charge of the development of the Employment Platform as the lead for product management.

The employment platform makes it possible for our public services customers to configure and run multiple programs in a standard solutions for a diverse set of target groups and outcomes. The aim is that our customers can introduce new… Meer weergeven

Created a new product for WCC called Employment Platform. Tested customer demand successfully both with prospects/ new clients and existing clients.

In charge of the development of the Employment Platform as the lead for product management.

The employment platform makes it possible for our public services customers to configure and run multiple programs in a standard solutions for a diverse set of target groups and outcomes. The aim is that our customers can introduce new programs without the need of technical/IT people coding new custom build software. Minder weergeven

Arbeits Markt Service (AMS) Austria wanted to introduce skills based matching as an approach to assist jobseekers in finding new employment. Their custom legacy systems where not the right foundation for such a major transformation. The approach that AMS together with WCC and IBM designed, entailed a complete new way of bringing supply and demand in the labour market together. A new classification system designed for skills based matching, a new engine and new web portals and case management… Meer weergeven

Arbeits Markt Service (AMS) Austria wanted to introduce skills based matching as an approach to assist jobseekers in finding new employment. Their custom legacy systems where not the right foundation for such a major transformation. The approach that AMS together with WCC and IBM designed, entailed a complete new way of bringing supply and demand in the labour market together. A new classification system designed for skills based matching, a new engine and new web portals and case management solution has been part of the project to provide jobseekers, employers and AMS caseworkers with the right tooling. I have helped AMS via knowledge sharing sessions feasibility studies and design workshops to define the systems setup, knowledge structures and scoping of the project. Minder weergeven

Transforming the sales department of WCC to a business development department. Consultative selling is in WCC's market the best way to bring in new business.
Build the department from 1 to 6 people.

Initiated to productise a search & match application aimed at large staffing companies. The federated search and match application made it possible to search for workers and jobs in multiple sources inside and outside the organisation.
Sold the application to 5 staffing firms as launching customers.

Building the following departments from the ground up: finance department, project management and a consulting department. During this time I outsourced the software development department fromThe Netherlands to czech Republic as well.

A mid sized system integrator and Otys developed together a resource management module allowing for central resource planning of more than 5000 permanent it professionals and 2000+ freelancers. The professionals could manage their own profile and set preferences and notifications. The profiles were automatically updated with new assignments/ placements. API's facilitated contract & timesheet exchange with the billing systems.

The temporary staffing solution in combination with the total Otys suite attracted clients active in managed services. Extended the temp staffing solution with features for managed service providers and vendor management providers.

Managed the development and introduction of a new staffing solution within the OTYS platform aimed at temp staffing. The solution consisted of pool-management, planning & match features, contract-management, timesheets and integration with payrolling and billing providers.
The solution was developed together with a small number of launching customers.

Otys recruitment portal solution was already very advanced. With 2 launching customers we build a job board management solution. Customers of Otys job-board can run multiple job boards with different branding and separated databases from 1 system with an CRM.

Due to the growing client base and the growth of the candidate databases of our clients the existing search technology did not suffice anymore.
The integration of Actonomy provided Otys with a powerful semantic search and match solution.

Multi sourcing tool enabling recruiters to search 3rd party databases such as linkedin, monster etc. Candidates found could be registered with one push of a button. The second generation of this tool was build as browser toolbar/ plugin for chrome, firefox and IE.

Ilsemedia invented the wheel multiple times by building websites from scratch with often similar functionalities.
This approach was very costly but more importantly very slow.
I hired an architect that created what could be considered a service oriented architecture. Standard tooling were selected for frameworks, cms, blog, payments, add placement, SOA/ SEA, campain management, single sign on etc.

This enabled Ilse Media to build functionality and content rich websites fast at a… Meer weergeven

Ilsemedia invented the wheel multiple times by building websites from scratch with often similar functionalities.
This approach was very costly but more importantly very slow.
I hired an architect that created what could be considered a service oriented architecture. Standard tooling were selected for frameworks, cms, blog, payments, add placement, SOA/ SEA, campain management, single sign on etc.

This enabled Ilse Media to build functionality and content rich websites fast at a relatively low cost.
Minder weergeven

Reorganisation of the ICT department from a development focused organisation in a project management department. Designed an outsourcing strategy that enabled Ilsemedia and its parent organisation Sanoma to produce websites based on standardized functional blocks in a fast and cost effective manner.

The hosting solution of Ilse Media did no longer suffice anymore both for ensuring growth and reliability . The target defined by managament was to make sure that Ilse Media's websites could continue to grow and make sure that a high uptime would be guaranteed.

After a rigorous RFI/RFP process and a projectteam was setup consisting of own staff, external help and people from the different vendors including the managed hosting provider.
the project was very successful and delivered a… Meer weergeven

The hosting solution of Ilse Media did no longer suffice anymore both for ensuring growth and reliability . The target defined by managament was to make sure that Ilse Media's websites could continue to grow and make sure that a high uptime would be guaranteed.

After a rigorous RFI/RFP process and a projectteam was setup consisting of own staff, external help and people from the different vendors including the managed hosting provider.
the project was very successful and delivered a faster, more reliable and cheeper hosting solution. Minder weergeven

The IT department of Ilse Media delivered poorly and became more and more an issue for the growing company. Outsourcing was not possible due to the complicated environment.

A strict disonnect was made between internal IT and the system engineers working on the webplatform.

I replaced the internal IT staff for specialist temp staff. The It department was professionalized in a quick turn-around time and new staff was hired and trained to replace the tem staff.
Users started to… Meer weergeven

The IT department of Ilse Media delivered poorly and became more and more an issue for the growing company. Outsourcing was not possible due to the complicated environment.

A strict disonnect was made between internal IT and the system engineers working on the webplatform.

I replaced the internal IT staff for specialist temp staff. The It department was professionalized in a quick turn-around time and new staff was hired and trained to replace the tem staff.
Users started to trust the internal IT department again which helpe a lot in the projects to consolidate the webplatform and the hosting environment. Minder weergeven

Restructure the software development project for IRIS. Some of the keypoints of the project and the product are mentioned below.
- Made sure that the database structure was alright.
- Created usergroups for recruiters, secretaries and data quality personnel.
- Made sure that IRIS had the right interfaces with YER websites and with job-boards like Monster.com and
Nationale Vacaturebank for both vacancy publication and candidate applications.
- Introduction of a search & match… Meer weergeven

Restructure the software development project for IRIS. Some of the keypoints of the project and the product are mentioned below.
- Made sure that the database structure was alright.
- Created usergroups for recruiters, secretaries and data quality personnel.
- Made sure that IRIS had the right interfaces with YER websites and with job-boards like Monster.com and
Nationale Vacaturebank for both vacancy publication and candidate applications.
- Introduction of a search & match functionality
- Created a methodology for assessing the value of candidates
- Build a advanced CRM functionality for the YER sales staff
- Create a report engine delivering management information for YER managers and directors
Minder weergeven

Take over the responsibility for the IT department. The IT department had to be restructured. Integrated the software developers with the system engineers and hired database administrators and people managing / maintaining the website for all YER brands.

Due to the economic crisis YER had to reduce cost. The aim of the project was to reduce headcount with 20 FTE without reducing the quality of data especially candidate / cv data.
To achieve this 2 software products were introduced. A data-ingest application custom build by YER Software Developers including a home grown cv parsing product and deduplication algorithm. And the Zylab Search Engine.
With these 2 products we achieved spectacular results. Reduction headcount from 24 FTE to 2… Meer weergeven

Due to the economic crisis YER had to reduce cost. The aim of the project was to reduce headcount with 20 FTE without reducing the quality of data especially candidate / cv data.
To achieve this 2 software products were introduced. A data-ingest application custom build by YER Software Developers including a home grown cv parsing product and deduplication algorithm. And the Zylab Search Engine.
With these 2 products we achieved spectacular results. Reduction headcount from 24 FTE to 2 FTE. More than 90% reduction of processing time and making our database of 'golden' records triple in size.
The improved quality of the database was a large contributor to the desireable fact that in 95% of placements the candidate/ new employee originated from the YER database. Minder weergeven

Background: YER started a software development project to build a new recruitment system/ database in 1999.
YER management wanted to verify the strategy of building an own recruitment system.

"After a RFI/RFP project including doing a data migration and run a test with 10 users for several weeks.
The standard recruitment software systems proved to be not advanced enough based on that the decision was reached to increase the budget for the internal development of IRIS.
I took… Meer weergeven

Background: YER started a software development project to build a new recruitment system/ database in 1999.
YER management wanted to verify the strategy of building an own recruitment system.

"After a RFI/RFP project including doing a data migration and run a test with 10 users for several weeks.
The standard recruitment software systems proved to be not advanced enough based on that the decision was reached to increase the budget for the internal development of IRIS.
I took responsibility of restructuring this development project and leading the development of a complete suite of recruitment tooling. Minder weergeven

My first assignment at YER was to setup an efficient website that would both attract good candidates and clients and also would streamline the business processes. This resulted in a number of websites based on a common platform for each separate brand of the YER Group. 
The website and the recruitment application IRIS had to be fully integrated. Publication of vacancies and handling candidate applications/ profile updates

Build the first recruitment portal in the Adecco group and the European staffing market. Adecco.nl had from the start in 1997 a vacancy section that was managed manually. When I took over the website A multi-site system was built that could offer differently branded websites for all Adecco brands in NL. The platform and its functionalities where shared amongst the different websites. The website and the internal ADECCO application and database MAX where connected to ensure that vacancies could… Meer weergeven

Build the first recruitment portal in the Adecco group and the European staffing market. Adecco.nl had from the start in 1997 a vacancy section that was managed manually. When I took over the website A multi-site system was built that could offer differently branded websites for all Adecco brands in NL. The platform and its functionalities where shared amongst the different websites. The website and the internal ADECCO application and database MAX where connected to ensure that vacancies could be published by recruiters working on branches. Candidate applications where automatically processed and added to the hiring workflow.

A national webteam was established to advise recruiters and make sure that the web publication of vacancies were of high quality.

I was a member of the global Adecco Internet Taskforce due to our innovative technical and business. approach.
Negotiated deals with job boards for vacancy placements and monitored the revenues realised on contracts with via internet sourced candidates. The ROI on the website was huge both in net income and in diversifying the industries and placements that Adecco could handle via the web. Minder weergeven

Adecco supplied all tempstaff needed for Euro2000 in Netherlands and Belgium. The expected traffic to the recruitment websites of both the Adecco Netherlands and Belgium would be too much.
A separate website with a multiple server setup and load balancing and connected to Adplan Adecco's planning application.

Maintenance cost for the legacy MAX front-office software of Adecco Netherlands were rising rapidly.
I led a project with Cap Gemini to define the minimum set of requirements for a new front-office applications.
The brown-paper methodology of Cap was used to extract the functional needs of all the different user-groups.
The cost of a new custom build application was estimated at 8 to 10 million Euro.

CV's and Jobs where stored in 160+ recruitment databases installed at local branch offices.
Due to the success of the remote search agent project I had to look actively for technology to enable a central database for the whole of Adecco Netherlands and its subsidiaries. The combination of these databases would result in more than 1 million cv's and thousands of job orders each day.

I introduced ELISE as match engine which enabled Adecco Netherlands to be the first staffing firm in… Meer weergeven

CV's and Jobs where stored in 160+ recruitment databases installed at local branch offices.
Due to the success of the remote search agent project I had to look actively for technology to enable a central database for the whole of Adecco Netherlands and its subsidiaries. The combination of these databases would result in more than 1 million cv's and thousands of job orders each day.

I introduced ELISE as match engine which enabled Adecco Netherlands to be the first staffing firm in Europe to work with a national database of candidates and joborders. Minder weergeven

One of the large contracts of Adecco Managed Services posed a planning issue. The employees where located all over the country and needed to make sure that shops of the customer were manned if permanent staff went on holiday of fell ill. The constantly changing planning was done from 1 branch office in Rotterdam. At the time there were mobile phones but no mobile internet yet. Planning and replanning took a lot of time and resulted in too many errors jeopardizing the agreed… Meer weergeven

One of the large contracts of Adecco Managed Services posed a planning issue. The employees where located all over the country and needed to make sure that shops of the customer were manned if permanent staff went on holiday of fell ill. The constantly changing planning was done from 1 branch office in Rotterdam. At the time there were mobile phones but no mobile internet yet. Planning and replanning took a lot of time and resulted in too many errors jeopardizing the agreed SLA.

Together with KPN we setup a project. Adecco provided a control group with Nokia WAP phones. We build a planning tool that could send instantaneously the actualized planning to the employee's WAP phones.
The project was a success and introduced to all of the employees.
KPN discontinued the WAP services not much later so no new projects were setup. Minder weergeven

Start-up of a candidate contact centres (CCC). Based on research my team and I found that a lot of potential placements were not made due the lack of time to contact candidates. A lot of prospects and customers had job-orders we could not fill due to lack of time. Recruiters where simply not able to contact enough candidates to process the job-orders. Hiring additional staff and renting larger offices was too time consuming. The CCC were regional call that where job-orders where matched to… Meer weergeven

Start-up of a candidate contact centres (CCC). Based on research my team and I found that a lot of potential placements were not made due the lack of time to contact candidates. A lot of prospects and customers had job-orders we could not fill due to lack of time. Recruiters where simply not able to contact enough candidates to process the job-orders. Hiring additional staff and renting larger offices was too time consuming. The CCC were regional call that where job-orders where matched to 'promising' candidates. These candidates where called in the evening to do a telephonic interview and arrange follow up the next day in the local branch. Minder weergeven

Based on the success of the Ecco Techniek project Adecco Management decided to setup several projects to improve the cooperation between general Adecco branch offices and branches and brands focussed on staffing of professionals (high margin).


The database contained technical, IT, financial and other specialist profiles.
With that knowledge we looked closer at the placements and realised that we placed next to none of these people. At the same time branches and brands tasked with… Meer weergeven

Based on the success of the Ecco Techniek project Adecco Management decided to setup several projects to improve the cooperation between general Adecco branch offices and branches and brands focussed on staffing of professionals (high margin).


The database contained technical, IT, financial and other specialist profiles.
With that knowledge we looked closer at the placements and realised that we placed next to none of these people. At the same time branches and brands tasked with placing these kind of profiles were searching very hard for good profiles. Minder weergeven

Adecco's managed services was growing rapidly and planning of these large volumes of tempstaff was very labour intensive. As part of my role as application manager for the staffing information system MAX, I led the project to build the first version of Adplan, an extension for our custom build MAX staffing solution enabling the registering shifts and planning capacity. For sourcing candidates the Adplan system was connected to the MAX databases of branches nearby (and was later connected to… Meer weergeven

Adecco's managed services was growing rapidly and planning of these large volumes of tempstaff was very labour intensive. As part of my role as application manager for the staffing information system MAX, I led the project to build the first version of Adplan, an extension for our custom build MAX staffing solution enabling the registering shifts and planning capacity. For sourcing candidates the Adplan system was connected to the MAX databases of branches nearby (and was later connected to the national candidate database).
The application was successfully deployed and reduced planning FTE's by more than 75%. Minder weergeven

Late 1997 Adecco signed a large contract with Philips. One of the conditions of the deal was that the processes around hiring and payments of tempstaff would be digital. i was tasked to connect Adecco's databases with the Ariba system of Philips by means of a new ly to setup EDI to facilitate this

The success of sharing high margin candidate profiles and job-orders between local Adecco branches and specialty branches triggered the need to improve the intake of candidates and job-orders. For this I was tasked to build an integrated ontology of occupations, job titles, educations, skills and tools with explanatory texts for each attribute to help recruiters interview candidates with very different backgrounds than 'normal' candidates that recruiters tend to interview.
The ontology was… Meer weergeven

The success of sharing high margin candidate profiles and job-orders between local Adecco branches and specialty branches triggered the need to improve the intake of candidates and job-orders. For this I was tasked to build an integrated ontology of occupations, job titles, educations, skills and tools with explanatory texts for each attribute to help recruiters interview candidates with very different backgrounds than 'normal' candidates that recruiters tend to interview.
The ontology was built with the help of students of the Tilburg University - School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Minder weergeven

Setting up a new business unit "Ecco Techniek" which became later after the merger "Adecco Techniek" . The aim of this new business unit was to collaborate with the mainstream Ecco/ Adecco branches and generate revenue from placements of technical personnel.

This decision was taken after database research. The research combined the separate databases of each branch office and analysing technical profiles one of the things we found out was that Ecco apparently attracted people with… Meer weergeven

Setting up a new business unit "Ecco Techniek" which became later after the merger "Adecco Techniek" . The aim of this new business unit was to collaborate with the mainstream Ecco/ Adecco branches and generate revenue from placements of technical personnel.

This decision was taken after database research. The research combined the separate databases of each branch office and analysing technical profiles one of the things we found out was that Ecco apparently attracted people with 'technical' profiles, next to people with administrative or production profiles.


Minder weergeven

Ecco and Adia merged to Adecco in June 1996. In the Netherlands the management decided that per 1st of January 1997 all branches, HQ and it systems were to be integrated.
I was part of the data-migration project and took the lead of combining the 2 taxonomies of occupations, educations, skills and tools.
The project was successfully completed before the deadline.