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Adecco names chief HR officer

November 26, 2013

Adecco Group, the world’s largest staffing firm, appointed Mark De Smedt as chief HR officer and a member of its executive committee, effective Jan. 1.

De Smedt joined Adecco in 2009 as country manager for Adecco Belgium and Luxembourg. Previously he had been the founder and managing partner of professional staffing firm XPE Group, which Adecco acquired in 2009. Prior to XPE Group, he was responsible for Adecco’s Benelux operations between 2002 and 2007. Before joining the staffing industry, De Smedt held executive positions in marketing, sales and general management at Wang; Apple; Citibank; and Scoot in France, Spain and Belgium. 

De Smedt graduated as a commercial engineer from the Solvay Business School and attended executive programs at the University of Chicago, Harvard Business School, INSEAD and the London Business School.

“Mark combines a proven HR know-how with in-depth business knowledge and work experience in different countries,” said Adecco Group CEO Patrick De Maeseneire. “Together with our strong HR community he will further improve the Group’s employee retention rate, one of our six strategic priorities.”