Our founding story | About us

Story behind the founders

In 2009, Validata Group was founded in Amsterdam by Harm Voogt and Job van der Weijden. Being a Law graduate and having worked in the Staffing and Recruitment sector for many years, Harm had grown to understand the market’s requirements and also, what was missing.

Checking relevant data of (potential) employees had proven to be an inefficient process; personal data and paperwork were fragmentally collected by various departments. Therefore, many organisations were experiencing long turnaround times and data-sharing issues.

However, it was not until Harm came across DUO, a government organisation responsible for registering all Dutch diploma’s and degrees, that he spotted a real business opportunity. If he could establish professional data partnerships, organisations would not have to struggle with the fragmented and privacy-sensitive process of collecting and checking personal (potential) employee data. Moreover, companies would not have to face the challenge of accessing numerous (inter)national data sources to verify information.

Job van der Weijden over de oprichting van Validata

Onboarding the team

When Job was introduced to the idea, he was triggered by the simplicity and its great potential. Having graduated in Business Economics in Rotterdam and been involved in several entrepreneurial businesses, he started with Heineken and worked in several commercial positions. He left Heineken for an investment fund where he closely observed several start- and scale-ups. He was an entrepreneur, but missed the dynamics of his own product and instantly knew that this was a unique opportunity. Together, Harm and Job established CV-OK, a small venture that would later become known as Validata Group.

In 2011, Bart Bijkerk joined CV-OK. By this time, Bart had also directed several businesses and experienced many years working in the HR and Recruitment sector. Together with his deep understanding of ICT staffing, coaching, and account management, he was eager to become involved in this niche opportunity and further develop the innovative business with Harm and Job.

Bart Bijkerk over de oprichting van Validata

The perfect solution

Harm, Job, and Bart were certain that they had created the perfect solution for recruitment and secondment organisations, as these were keen to meet their clients’ expectations. Makes sense right? Well not exactly.CV-OK soon realised that its innovative solution was not yet ‘top of mind’ and awareness of digitised employment screening still needed to increase.

In the meantime, next to CV-OK, two additional solutions were initiated: Vrijwilliger-OK, to check the personal data of volunteers, and Wonen-OK, to screen tenants and home buyers.

From CV-OK to Validata Group

In 2016, CV-OK changed its name it Validata Group. A logical step, as next to checking the CV’s of (potential) candidates, verifying additional information such as creditworthiness, criminal records and integrity statements was becoming more important.

With the number of clients from various sectors steadily increasing, Validata’s expertise grew at a similar rate. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Validata became the market leader in employment screening for the Netherlands several years ago.

A fast growing market

Nowadays, organisations increasingly focus on recruiting and retaining capable and honest employees. A wise move, not only because of risk management, but also to ensure compliance with current (privacy) laws and regulations. Validata’s smart software solution is currently used by clients from all over the world, screening candidates from more than 60 countries. With numerous international data and HR software partnerships, Validata stays at the forefront of employment screening in Europe.

In addition to its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Validata recently opened a subsidiary in Stockholm, Sweden. This is an important step to further develop employment screening in the Nordics, and it allows Validata to help local organisations by sharing its deep knowledge and experience.

Harm Voogt, Founder & Managing Director of Validata

Suzie Rurode, President International of DISA "We are delighted to have entered this partnership. Validata's advanced technology and exceptional management team align perfectly with our vision. We see this acquisition as much more than just an expansion; it is a fusion of forces that will redefine the approach to international screening. Collectively, it will become much easier to create added value for our renowned clients."

Harm Voogt, Managing Director and (co) founder of Validata "This acquisition marks an important milestone in our company history, Our services continue to grow and become more international. This strategic move allows us to better shape that internationalization for our customers, and that was exactly what we were looking for. Together with DISA, we aim to strengthen our national and international market position and continue to improve the added value we offer our customers."

Joris Ringelink, HR Officer at Loyens & Loeff “The AFAS integration realises a centralisation of the entire process in one system, resulting in minimal workload and a significant reduction in error sensitivity.”

Angelien Frehé, Officer at Ordina "For Validata, no request seems to be too much; within a few days they have created a new profile we can use."

Ilze Lamers, HR Director Northern Europe at Michael Page “Even in this global pandemic, Michael Page wants to guarantee that the processing of personal data of candidates is securely done now that some of our employees are working from home.”

Worldline "Working with Validata internationally helps to screen every candidate via the same way. The system is easy to use and due to the fact that you can create different screening profiles per country, it is easy to adapt to local rules and regulations (for example: data storage in the EER)."

Judge of the European Technology Awards 2021 “Validata's disruptive solution and recent growth are remarkable. Their ambitious outlook, combined with a continuous focus of innovation and augmenting the end-customer experience, sets them apart as a company.”

Harm Voogt, CEO at Validata Group “We are delighted to have been recognised for our digital achievements in the field. I am exceptionally proud of how we have grown as a company to support clients from around the world and this award reflects not only our hard work but also our end customer vision.”

Harm Voogt, Managing Director & (co) founder of Validata Group “Our people truly make the difference and I am exceptionally proud of how we have grown as a company to serve clients around the world. Our deep understanding and ambitious outlook continuously support us build better work environments one business, and one hire at a time.”

The story behind Validata