Evita Simsone

Director of the State Employment Agency of Latvia

Evita Simsone is the director of the State Employment Agency of Latvia since December 2016. Before that, for more than 10 years she worked as a manager of one of the local offices of the State Employment Agency of Latvia.

Since November 2016, she has been a member of the board of the Network of Employment Services (PES) of the European Union Member States and from 2017 to 2020, Evita Simsone was the first deputy chairman of the PES board.

Evita Simsone has a higher education in social sciences, obtained the certificate of the internal auditor of the Quality Management System, in addition to her practical work, she has developed her knowledge in the field of organization and personnel management, internal control and internal audit.

Greta Metka Barbo Škerbinc

DG of the Slovenian Employment Agency, President of WAPES

Greta Metka Barbo Škerbinc graduated as a Univ. B.Sc. political scientist, with 30 years of work experience, most of it at Employment Service od Slovenia, where she has been employed from 1993. She performed various tasks at the Employment Service of Slovenia, starting at a Regional office in the field of ALMP and analytics, followed by the Central office, where she mainly held various managerial positions. She was the Deputy Director General for 6 years, then she briefly worked at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, where she was working on tasks, related to Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Since February 2023 she has been working as the acting Director General of Employment Service of Slovenia.

Mehmet Altun

Head of International Relations and Projects at the Turkish Employment Agency

Mehmet Altun, representing İŞKUR in his capacity as Vice President of WAPES, is currently Head of International Relations and Projects at the Turkish Employment Agency. Born in 1984 in Ordu, Türkiye, he graduated in International Relations from Selçuk University (2005) and earned his MBA from the University of Technology Sydney (2011). During his career in Australia, he held managerial positions in international companies and led innovative initiatives as an entrepreneur.
In 2016, he returned to Türkiye and served as Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister and to Ministers at the Turkish Parliament and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Later, he assumed senior roles at Ordu Metropolitan Municipality, where he implemented cultural, tourism, and sports projects, while managing EU- and World Bank–funded initiatives.
Since September 2024, Mehmet Altun has been continuing his career at İŞKUR as Head of International Relations and Projects, representing the institution internationally and contributing to its future strategies. He is fluent in English, has an intermediate knowledge of Georgian and is married with two children.

Amandine Moignard

Executive Secretary, World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES)

Amandine Moignard is a specialist in international cooperation and public policy development, with a strong focus on public employment services. She holds a Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Project Management from Madrid, following her studies in International Relations in Paris. Her career has been shaped by a deep commitment to effective and inclusive public action across diverse international contexts.

She began her career in development project management within a consultancy firm and FIAP, a Spanish public foundation promoting peer-to-peer technical cooperation among public administrations. She then spent two years in Bamako, Mali, working with an NGO focused on family planning.

Upon returning to Europe, Amandine joined France Médias Monde in Paris and later moved to Brussels to work with the EU-funded SOCIEUX+ programme, which fosters institutional peer cooperation. It was through this experience that she developed a keen interest in public employment services, leading her to join WAPES in June 2023 as Project Director.

Since November 2024, she has been serving as Executive Secretary of WAPES, where she contributes to strengthening global cooperation among public employment services and advancing inclusive employment and decent work policies.

Anton Eckersley

Director of International Relations APM-Ingeus

Anton has worked in international workforce development for over thirty years in both the public and private sectors, including as Deputy Labor & Social Affairs Attaché at the British Embassy in Paris, European Policy Adviser in DWP and implementing change management reforms in Jobcentre Plus. His current role centres on shaping effective international skills & employability ecosystems and supporting mutual learning through global knowledge-sharing networks including WAPES, the European Commission and the ILO. Outside work, he stays well clear of airports preferring instead to be an online volunteer teacher for elementary school kids in East Africa and to teach language & citizenship at a refugee centre in his local town.

Simon Schmid

Partner at SkillLab and the Managing Director of the Just Skills Hub

Simon Schmid is a Partner at SkillLab and the Managing Director of the Just Skills Hub. Skill Lab supports governments and employment services with technology that creates equitable labor markets through the universal language of skills. Prior to joining Skill Lab, Simon was at Ernst & Young and the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies.

Nicole Clobes

WAPES Consultant

Nicole Clobes is a certified intercultural trainer and educator, currently seconded to the World Association of Public Employment Services (WAPES) from the German Federal Employment Agency. She holds degrees in communication, education, and organizational psychology, and has worked in both frontline and managerial roles in public employment services since 2016. Nicole has led international cooperation initiatives and co-authored major publications in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and the OECD.

Shawn Mendes

Director of International Affairs at Arbetsförmedlingen, Sweden

Shawn Mendes is Director of International Affairs at Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Service. Previously, he worked at the Swedish Council for Higher Education, Vinnova (Agency for Innovation), Ministry of Education and Research and Skolverket (The Swedish National Agency for Education) as well as for the European Training Foundation in Turin. Prior to moving to Sweden in 2002, Shawn worked as a political advisor in Canada before joining the public sector in British Columbia where he worked with international trade, labour market policy and industry training. Shawn holds bachelor’s degrees from Simon Fraser and Carleton universities in Canada, and a Master’s Degree from Stockholm University.

Emma Monster

Junior Seconded Consultant, WAPES

Emma is joining the WAPES Executive Secretariat from May 2025 until February 2026.
Emma is seconded by UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen), the public employment service of The Netherlands.

During her studies at University Emma developed an interest in international cooperation, and wrote her thesis about bilateral relations between Japan and China. Her interest led her to complete her master’s degree with an exchange to Tokyo, where she deepened her knowledge of foreign policy and intercultural communication.

Emma is currently taking part in UWV’s traineeship that is organized in collaboration with SVB and the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Before joining WAPES she carried out research on delegation between doctors and nurses, a very relevant topic for the Social-Medical Affairs division of UWV.

Emma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese Studies and a Master’s degree in Media Business.

Dario Rosić

Retired Sergeant Major of the Croatian Army

Dario Rosić is a former Sergeant Major in the Croatian Army with over 28 years’ experience in the armed forces and NATO. He has held senior positions in operational planning, strategy and the modernisation of military capabilities. He has led major strategic projects and worked on the interoperability of forces with NATO. Since retiring from the military, he has pursued his career in the civilian and international sectors, notably with Amazon, Maersk and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). Recognised for his leadership, he combines operational expertise, team management and international relations.

Živa Štiglic

Senior Adviser in International Department, Slovenian Employment Agency (ESS)

Živa Štiglic holds a master’s degree in law and is currently working as an expert in the International department of Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS). Her duties include implementation of inter-state labour- and employment-related agreements, as well as cooperation with other stakeholders in the labour market and public employment services of other countries. Previously she has been in charge of the Central Office for Employers at ESS, responsible for developing and implementing new approaches and services for Employers and has been working mostly on employer engagement challenges. Her rich previous experience also include working as a project manager and head of advocacy in the NGO sector, as well as working as an expert for Socieux+ to share knowledge and experiences through short-term missions and activities that enhance the capacity to design, manage, and monitor inclusive, effective, and sustainable employment strategies and social protection systems.

Tilde Marie Lavingé Jacobsen

Coordinator, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions

Tilde Jacobsen is a Coordinator and Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, where she leads multiple projects on local skills development and employment policies, adult learning systems, and the labour market integration of individuals far from the labour market. In her position, she has worked with various countries, regions, and cities to support the design and implementation of evidence-based employment and skills policies at the local level. Before that, she worked as a Special Advisor at the Danish Ministry of Finance. She also has previous experience from the Danish Chamber of Commerce and the European Commission. Tilde holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Copenhagen and a master’s degree in Political Economy of Europe from the London School of Economics.

Elina Egle-Ločmele

Chairperson of the Board, Federation of Security and Defence Industries of Latvia and Member of the Board of Women for Security in Latvia

Elina Egle has more than 20 years’ experience in leadership of national and sectoral business organisations. Since 2013 Elīna Egle is Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Federation of Security and Defence Industries of Latvia (FSDI Latvia), Member of the Board of the competence centre ‘’DefInno’’ and an expert of NATO DIANA Accelerator Programme.
Current responsibilities include coordinating the representation of the Latvian delegation of the NATO Industry Advisory Group and cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space, the European Defence Agency and partner organisations abroad. International experience was gained working as a Member of Executive Committees of International Organization of Employers, Business and Industry Advisory Committee to OECD and BusinessEurope as well as Cedefop and Eurofound for many years
She is a member of Society of Political Scientists of Latvia, co-founder and Member of the Board of Women for Security, co-founder of CSR Latvia and Chairperson of the Council of Business Union of Latvia.
More information: www.elinaegle.lv and www.federacija.lv

Eva Lapsiņa

Representative of International Relations, State Employment Agency of Latvia

Eva Lapsiņa has been working at the State Employment Agency of Latvia since 2014. During this time, she has held various positions related to labour market analysis and forecasting, employer services, strategic planning, and institutional development. She is also involved in international cooperation, representing the Agency in international affairs.

Charlie Terrell

Global Workforce Development Strategy Executive, Accenture

Charlie Terrell is workforce development strategy leader at Accenture, where he leads initiatives at the intersection of workforce development innovation, technology, and economic development. With more than two decades of experience advising public, private, and nonprofit organizations, he has developed national and regional strategies to strengthen talent pipelines, modernize workforce systems, and align education with rapidly evolving industry needs.

At Accenture, Charlie has directed projects spanning advanced manufacturing, digital transformation, and workforce agility. His work emphasizes building sustainable ecosystems that prepare workers for the jobs of the future, while helping organizations adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively. He has partnered with federal, state, and local governments, as well as Fortune 500 companies, to design scalable programs that expand opportunity and support economic resilience.

Charlie is based in Washington, D.C. where he supports clients in the United States and across the globe.

Maximilian Ballwanz

Managing Director, Accenture

Maximilian Ballwanz is Managing Director at Accenture with over a decade of consulting experience in digital transformation projects within the labor market. He specializes in digital strategy development, user-centric requirements management, and digital service portal implementation. Maximilian also has significant expertise in guiding organizations in effectively integrating autonomous, AI-driven systems to improve efficiency and service quality.

Micha Weiss

Operations Manager

Experienced manager (all industries in Europe and USA) and Job Coach from Switzerland. Knowing the needs to be successful in building business and pushing to the best limits. As well as creating and finding the right jobs, especially for disabled people or being currently in poor health.

Gillian Russell

Director at Bold Mariner Ltd a consultancy company

Gillian Russell is the Director at Bold Mariner Ltd a consultancy company that that specialises in helping businesses integrate military talent, including veterans, military spouses and reserves, into their workforce. Their expertise lies in providing strategic advice, program development, and data-driven solutions to enhance talent acquisition, employee engagement and operational efficiency. Until 2023 she was the Principal Program Manager of the Global Military Affairs team at Amazon, where she was responsible for developing military programs focused on attracting and retaining military veterans, reservists and military spouses to Amazon worldwide. Previously, she was a Logistics Officer in the Royal Navy for 18 years where she served both at sea and ashore and was deployed to Afghanistan as member of Op Herrick in 2009. An award winning and passionate advocate of ex-Military personnel she is very much looking forward to contributing to the WAPES Conference.

Christoph Hempel

Key Account Manager, Labor Employment Agency, Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA), Germany

Christoph Hempel currently holds the position of Key Account Manager at the Federal Employment Agency (BA) in Germany. With eleven years of experience at the institution and a double master’s degree in labour market management, he specialises in developing strategic partnerships with large companies and the public sector. After working for several years at the agency in his hometown of Leipzig and then at the organisation’s headquarters in Nuremberg, he was responsible for the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors from 2023 to 2024. Since the signing of the framework agreement between the Federal Employment Agency and the German Armed Forces in 2024, he has been actively involved in the operational implementation of the provisions of this cooperation.

Andris Segliņš

EURES adviser (European Job Mobility adviser) , The State Employment Agency (NVA)

Experienced employment and mobility adviser with over 20 years in public employment services.