John McCarthy

Director, International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP)

International policy expert specialising in career guidance in the education, training and employment fields and provided policy advice and training to ministries, departments, government agencies, and organisations in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Policy developer for lifelong learning at the European Commission’s Directorate for Education and Training where he chaired the Commission’s Expert Group on Lifelong Guidance and co-edited the joint EC-OECD publication Career Guidance – a Handbook for Policy Makers (2004). Undertaken assignments for the OECD, ETF, CEDEFOP, ILO-ITC, and ELGPN including country reviews of policies and systems for career guidance. Played a key role in the development of Guidelines for Policies and Systems Development for Lifelong Guidance: A Reference Framework for the EU and for the Commission (2015) for the ELGPN.

Recent publication: McCarthy, J., Borsbely-Pezce, T. (2021) Career guidance: living on the edge of public policy. In, Robertson, P.J., Hooley, T., and McCash, P. (Eds.) Oxford Handbook of Career Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Contact: jmc@iccdpp.org and sign up for free ICCDPP monthly newsletter on career guidance policy, systems, and practice issues.

Nicole Clobes

Consultant – WAPES

Mrs. Nicole Clobes has been a consultant with the World Association of Public Employment Services in Brussels since 2023, following her secondment from the German Federal Public Employment Agency. In her role at WAPES, she focuses on crucial advocacy efforts, including promoting the ratification of ILO Convention 88, which underscores the ongoing partnership between WAPES and the International Labour Organization in improving global employment standards. Nicole’s career in public employment services began in 2016, where she initially counselled diverse customer groups and managed a team of placement officers and employer advisors. Her professional journey also included a position within the EU Representation of the German Federal Employment Agency in Belgium. Educationally, Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, complemented by her background in early childhood education. This diverse educational foundation supports her broad expertise in her current advisory role.

Tristram Hooley

Professor of Careers Education at the University of Derby

Tristram Hooley is Professor of Careers Education at the University of Derby. He also holds visiting Professorial roles at the Inland Norway University and Canterbury Christ Church University. He is Vice Chair of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy. His research focuses on career, career guidance, public policy and technology and he has published 11 books and over 100 articles and papers. He also writes the Adventures in Career Development blog.

Sareena Hopkins

Chair, ICCDPP and Executive Director, CCDF, Canada

Sareena Hopkins is the Chair of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP), bringing together policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to create a global conversation around public sector policies for career development that promote action at national, regional, and local levels. In her “day job”, Sareena is the Executive Director of the Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF), working in Canada and internationally to strengthen the reach and impact of career development. With her team at CCDF, she moves from ideas to action in areas of public policy, research and development, capacity building and advocacy. Sareena is an International NICEC Fellow and was awarded the International Gold Medal for Leadership in Career Development.

Tibor Bors BORBÉLY-PECZE

Senior Project Adviser, Youth Guarantee Co-Ordinator, Associate Professor , Hungary

He’s a Senior Project Officer of the Ministry for National Economy, Hungary. Has been working for the Hungarian Public Employment Service in various expert positions since 1999. He is a benchlearning assessor of the European PES Network, alternative member of the EU PES Board, and Youth Guarantee Co-ordinator of Hungary. He is also an Associate Professor in Pedagogy in the field of Career Guidance. Honorary Associate Professor of the Milton Friedman University Budapest and the University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences. Senior Lecturer at the University of ELTE Budapest, Institute of Research on Adult Education and Knowledge Management. Current and former board member of different international associations (such as IAEVG, ICCDPP). He is the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters.