Leading Growth Strategies across the EMEA Region
Based in Switzerland, Dinette Koolhaas leads operations and oversees growth strategies across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for global staffing leader Kelly Services.
Under her leadership, Kelly’s EMEA operations has delivered consistent growth in sales and profits. Her colleagues said she has a reputation as a leader who positively transforms businesses with risk-taking approaches to meet business goals. The Fortune 500 Company had revenues of about $5.5 billion last year and provided employment to about 550,000 people.
As vice president and operations leader of the EMEA Region, Koolhaas’ work requires flexibility while working among cultural differences. She lives by the words “our next plan, execution, and accomplishment.”
Raised in a high-energy entrepreneurial family with a positive mindset, Koolhaas learned early in her career to balance strategic thinking with a keen eye for operational detail. This has allowed her to develop strong teams, build solid customer relationships, suggest the appropriate operational course and follow through to ensure positive results.
Koolhaas joined Kelly Services back in 2008 to lead its operations in Western Europe. She says that was her biggest career leap, and it ultimately developed into oversight for the company’s operations throughout all of EMEA.
She says being a woman in her position has been an opportunity to influence and connect with a variety of professionals and leaders. She added that the most important quality any woman leader should have is “the self-awareness to adapt natural style in new situations to improve as a professional and to grow as a person.”
She holds a MBA and serves on the board of Eurociett.
