Empowering an accessible and inclusive workforce.
The Empowerment Foundation is a non-profit organisation strengthening the labour market by supporting job seekers and small/medium sized businesses.
How We Empower
Our mission is to strengthen the European labour market by empowering its most valuable stakeholders - employees and business owners.
We offer outplacement, coaching and advisory programmes that foster independence, inclusivity, and integration.
Our vision is a future where everyone, regardless of their background, has access to the resources needed to live an empowered and fulfilling life.
A meaningful career is just one piece of the puzzle.
Meet Our Founders
Shea Harty, Flor de Maria Paredes Mattos, and Jane Stephenson founded the Empowerment Foundation to help newcomers to the Netherlands find success in the labour market.
Today, Shea and Flor lead the foundation’s efforts worldwide, making our resources more available to those in need. They have expanded the Empowerment Foundation’s offerings to include corporate trainings, DEI consulting, workplace coaching programmes, and more.
Flor de Maria Paredes Mattos
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Shea Harty
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Our Advisors
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![Jennifer Spencer]()
Jennifer Spencer
Advisor
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![Alexis Podolny]()
Alexis Podolny
Advisor
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![Martijn Van Beek]()
Martijn Van Beek
Advisor
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![Jan Kaan]()
Jan Kaan
Advisor
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Robbert Nakken
Advisor
Meet Our Team
Our international teams span more than 15 countries and languages. With backgrounds in marketing, coaching, leadership, and more, we are passionate about supporting others to achieve success.
Deborah
Baas
Coaches Team Co-Lead
Anne
Gelebart
Coaches Team Co-Lead
Deniz
Özalban
Programmes & Events Coordinator
Eylül
Canbaz
People First HR Coordinator
Ioulia (Lia)
Kaliatza
People First HR Coordinator
Jelena
Serovic-Prunic
Project Coordinator & Scrum Master
Khushi
Jeswani
Marketing Coordinator
Lina María
Botero Vergara
People First HR Coordinator
Maerhaba
Tumuer
Marketing Coordinator
Mary Jan
Marquez
Project Coordinator
Angelica Nicodemo
Podcast Coordinator
Sicong
Luo
People First HR Coordinator
Pamela Cepeda
Corrales
Event Coordinator
WEnnovate Team
Evelyn Santos
Marketing Coordinator
Matthew Derczynski
Marketing Team Lead
Camelia Rădulescu
Events Coordinator
Simona
Dojchinovska
Coaches Coordinator
Jenny Hansen
Podcast Host
Neda Safari
Digital Design Coordinator
Yvet
Diamanti
People First HR Coordinator
Lucjan Kaliniecki
Podcast Producer
Elli Zafeiridou
Georgiadou
Programme Coordinator
Foundation Information
Registration
The Empowerment Foundation is legally registered as Empower Amsterdam Stichting in the Netherlands.
Board Members
Shea Harty
Flor de Maria Paredes Mattos
Annual Reports and Income
The income of the Empowerment Foundation comes from donations, event ticket sales, programme payments, and our sponsors. Find the foundation’s annual reports below.