Foundation Forum: Participants

Bertie Ahern TD is currently Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, following his re-election to this post for a second five-year term on 6 June 2002. His previous ministerial appointments included Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) of Ireland and Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (November–December 1994) and Minister for Finance (November 1991–December 1994). During previous years he has also been Minister for Industry and Commerce, Minister for Labour and Minister for State at the Department of Taoiseach and at the Department of Defence, and Government Chief Whip. During his long political career he has been appointed to numerous posts including Lord Mayor of Dublin, Member of the Dublin City Council, Fianna Fáil front bench spokesperson on youth, opposition Chief Whip and Fianna Fáil front bench spokesperson on Labour. Bertie Ahern has been leader of the Fianna Fáil party since 1994.

Gerd Andres has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour since October 2002. From 1998 to 2002 he was Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Prior to this, he was a member of the executive board of the Bundestag’s SPD caucus for 10 years. From 1996 to 2000 and again since 2002 he undertook the role of Chair of the SPD executive committee’s coordinating group on Turkey. During the period 1983-1998 he was Chair of the AfA (SPD working group on wage earners) in the city and district of Hanover, subsequently being appointed Deputy Chairman. In his early career he was secretary to the executive board of the IG Chemie-Papier-Keramik (now IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie) trade union.

Ainars Baštiks is the Latvian Minister for Children and Family Affairs since November 2002. Previous to this he worked as a priest in Riga’s Matthew Baptist Church during which time he was also junior research associate in the Latvian History Museum. During his earlier career he worked as a designer in the Aurora factory in Riga and also as a carpenter in the restoration company Restaurators after spending two years in the Soviet army. He holds a Masters degree in History from the University of Latvia and has also studied Development and Management at the Evangelical Development Ministry Institute (EDMI) in Orlando, USA. After studying for his Latvian Baptist Parish Fellowship and with a strong interest in theology he attended several theology courses in Austria and Switzerland during the nineties. Mr Baštiks is a member of the Latvian Baptist Parish Confederation.

Juliane Bir is a French national and currently works as Advisor at the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), with special responsibility for youth policy, corporate social responsibility (CSR), social dialogue in the new Member States and candidate countries, and immigration. She is a Bureau member of the European Youth Forum (2003-2004) and in 2002 was elected to the Praesidium of the Youth Convention. She holds a degree in industrial relations (Belgium) and also a diploma in social work (France)

Sandra Bonfiglioli is professor of urban and regional planning at the Department of Land Science of the Politecnico University of Milan. Her field of specialisation is the design and management of urban time plans. She is a graduate of the inter-university centre, Tempi della Città, with a degree in urban time and mobility planning. Professor Bonfiglioli has carried out research into the design of time-oriented integrated urban policies, including physical and functional aspects, as well as research relating to the city and time and is co-founder of the 'Vanda Lab' (gender approach to urban planning). She coordinates the new LABSAT (Laboratorio di analisi e progettazione di sistemi di architettura temporale) laboratory at the University of Milan.

Michal Boni (PhD), former Polish Minister of Labour and Social Policy (1991), is an independent advisor on socio-economic policy issues with particular interest in the prevention of unemployment in Poland and the socio-economic problems facing central and eastern European countries. Prior to his role as Minister of Labour, he was Chair of the Advisory Board to the Minister of Labour and Social Policy from 1998 to 2001. During his earlier career he was a business advisor, representative of the local authority, key member of trade unions and also worked as a university lecturer. He holds a doctorate in Sociology and is the author of numerous studies and articles.

Dr John Bowman is a writer, historian, journalist, producer and broadcaster presenting current affairs and historical programmes on RTÉ radio and television as well as chairing public debates and interviewing public figures. He has chaired since 1988 the weekly audience-participation political programme 'Questions and Answers' on RTÉ television and presented 'Bowman’s Saturday' on radio, a weekly compilation of material from broadcasting archives at home and abroad. He was President of the Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations in 1993. He is author of De Valera and the Ulster Question 1917–1973 (1982). He obtained his PhD in political science from Trinity College Dublin. Dr Bowman is a member of the National Archives Advisory Council.

Lord Bill Brett has been Director of the ILO London office since January 2004. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 1999. He is an ex-officio member of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation, established independently by the ILO in February 2002. A member of the trade union movement during his entire working life, he was elected General Secretary of the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists in 1989 and was re-elected for a further five-year term in 1994, retiring from that position in 1999. A member of the ILO governing body since 1991, he has served as both Vice-Chair and Chair of the workers group and was elected Chair of the ILO Governing Body for the year 2002-2003.

Christina Christova is currently the Bulgarian Minister of Labour and Social Policy. For several years she has been member of the Bulgarian National Council for Social Assistance, the National Council for Rehabilitation and Social Integration and also the Board of Managers of the Rehabilitation and Social Integration Fund. From 1995 to 1998 she was coordinator of a project to improve services and institutions for people with a disability in Bulgaria, a project financed by the Flemish Government, and also opened the first office for social services for disabled people. She contributed to the establishment of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) in 1996 during which time she was also a lecturer at the Bourgas Free University. She was President of the National Centre for Social Rehabilitation, for Social Services and Social Assistance of disabled people and their families in 1991 after working in the Social Policy Department of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research (ISTUR) for several years. She is a philosophy graduate from the Sveti Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and also obtained a PhD in Sociology from the ISTUR.

Bob Collins is a television broadcaster, producer and director and has spent most of his working life since 1975 in Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland’s national broadcasting organization. He joined RTÉ in 1975 and has been involved at a senior editorial level since 1980. He was appointed Director of Television Programmes in 1986, Director of Corporate Affairs in 1993 and Assistant Director-General in 1995. Most recently he held the position of Director-General from April 1997 to October 2003. He has been involved in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for more than twenty years. During that time, he served as President of the Television Committee of the EBU and was a member of its Presidency and Administrative Council. He was Chair of the Celtic Film and Television Association from 1991 to 1994 and was also involved with the Irish language television service Teilifis na Gaeilge (now TG4). Mr Collins holds a BA in Philosophy and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), both from the National University of Ireland

Tjark De Lange is a small business owner and entrepreneur. His company, KAPP Netherlands, was founded in 1997 and is a leader in heat exchangers for the chemical and food processing industry. He also founded WCR Benelux BV, a company specialising in the service and maintenance of heat exchangers. From 1992 to 1997 he worked at AMW-Marine-Industry B.V. Hendrik Ido Ambacht. He is currently President of YES for Europe, the European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs, and Jong Management, the Dutch Association of Young Entrepreneurs. A citizen of the Netherlands, Tjark De Lange holds a degree in Marine Engineering and started his career as a maritime officer in the Dutch Merchant Navy.

Vlado Dimovski was appointed Head of the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs in Slovenia in December 2000. During the three years prior to this he served as President of the Centre for International Competitiveness. In 1995 he became associate professor at the University of Ljubljana and state secretary for industry at the Ministry for Economic Affairs. He spent the previous five years as a researcher at Cleveland State University. In 1994 he was awarded a PhD in business administration by Cleveland State University (his thesis was entitled 'Organisational learning and competitive advantage: a theoretical and empirical analysis'). During the years 1984-1990 he worked as assistant professor at the University of Ljubljana. Dr Dimovski is a graduate of the University of Ljubljana where he obtained an MSc in economics (1988).

Lucy Fallon-Byrne was appointed Director to the Irish National Centre for Partnership and Performance in May 2001. Previous to this, she was Assistant Chief Executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and formerly a primary school teacher and principal. She has extensive experience in strategic management and planning and has worked as a consultant to educational organisations at national and international levels. Ms Fallon-Byrne holds an MBA Degree with particular reference to strategic planning and organisational change and also an MA in political science.

Willis B. Goldbeck , Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Alternative Futures since 1988, is an independent social and economic policy consultant. He is President and CEO of The Health Project, a White House initiative to promote investments in environmental health programmes. In 1974 he founded the Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) and was President until 1990. In 1991, he was selected by the EU and World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a trans-European telecommunications system, CARE Telematics, serving all EU health related national administrations. CARE Telematics (1991-1994) was a project of the EU's Telecommunications Industry Directorate Programme. From 1988 to 1995, he was consultant to the WHO European office responsible for establishing the Office of Resource Mobilisation and managing the preparation of eurohealth. From 1995 to 1997, he was appointed to the WHO global task force on Mental Health Treatment Standards and Health Informatics. Mr Goldbeck is an author, editor and contributor to many books and articles covering a wide range of health care topics.

Sean Gorman is Secretary General at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in Dublin. His most recent assignment was as Assistant Secretary in the Labour Force Development Division of the Department, where his responsibilities included labour market policy, economic immigration and management of the European Social Fund in Ireland. He was also the representative of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the Board of FÁS – the Training and Employment Authority. Sean has an extensive background in the areas of transport policy, tourism policy, industrial policy and training having previously served on the Boards of CERT/Fáilte Ireland, [the state tourism agency] and Shannon Development.

Anneke Goudswaard (PhD) is senior researcher/consultant at TNO Work and Employment in the Netherlands. She has coordinated many research projects, both at national and European level, in the field of labour flexibility, especially in the area of working hours, employment contracts and functional flexibility. She also supports companies in their efforts to achieve ‘sustainable flexibility’, a flexibility that can benefit both employers and employees. A graduate in sociology from the University of Amsterdam, Ms Goudswaard previously worked as a researcher at the Hugo Sinzheimer Institute of the Faculty of Law at the University of Amsterdam.

Jan Grönlund has been State Secretary at the Swedish Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communications since 1999. His previous appointments included Director of Jämtland County Council, political adviser at the Prime Minister’s Office, management consultant with Bohlin and Strömberg Företagskonsult AB, and Head of Executive Staff and liaison officer for the Federation of Swedish County Councils. During his earlier career he worked as researcher for the Federation of Swedish County Councils and also took up the role of political adviser to the Minister of Labour for three years. Mr Grönlund holds a BSc degree in Social Studies from Stockholm University, where he also studied practical labour law before undertaking a course in Management at the Swedish Institute of Management (IFL).

Linda Hantrais is Director of the European Research Centre at Loughborough University in the UK. Since 1992, she has held a chair in the Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies at Loughborough University. She has served on several economic and social research committees and in 1999 was appointed to the Comité National d’Évaluation de la Recherche in Paris for a six-year term of office. Her research covers cross-national comparative research theory, methods and practices in social science. She is the author of several publications in the area of social policy.

Gail Hunt is President and CEO of the National Alliance for Caregiving, a non-profit coalition dedicated to conducting research and developing national programmes for family caregivers and healthcare professionals. Prior to heading NAC, she was president of her own ageing services consulting firm for 14 years. Her work has involved carrying out corporate eldercare research for the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration, developing training for caregivers with AARP and the American Occupational Therapy Association, and designing a corporate eldercare programme for EAPs with the Employee Assistance Professional Association. A graduate of Vassar College and Columbia University, Ms Hunt previously worked as senior manager in charge of human services with KPMG Peat Marwick in Washington DC.

Bernhard Jansen studied law at the universities of Hamburg, Geneva and Freiburg im Breisgau. He holds a PhD in law and worked for many years as a legal adviser for the European Commission's legal service, mainly on agricultural, competition and merger legislation. From 1991 to 1996 he was attached to the Commission delegation in Geneva in Switzerland, during which time he assisted in the final Uruguay round negotiations. Before becoming a director in the European Commission's Directorate General for Employment in 2001, Bernhard Jansen coordinated legal affairs relating to the World Trade Organisation and international trade law.

Henning Jørgensen trained as a political scientist, specialising in public administration and industrial relations. For fifteen years he has held a professorship at the University of Aalborg, Denmark, and during the last four years has been director of CARMA (Centre for Labour Market Studies at Aalborg University), the National centre for industrial relations studies. From his early days at the university he has engaged in discussions with – and has conducted analysis of – trade unions, and has focused on the study of labour market policies at both national and international level. He has been Director of the ETUI since November 2003.

Shane Kenny is a journalist, media consultant and broadcaster and has worked for RTÉ, the BBC and the US ABC Network during his career. He created and launched RTÉ's radio news programme ‘Morning Ireland’ and worked as an investigative reporter and presenter for the acclaimed ‘Seven Days’ programme on RTÉ television. In 1989, he won the National Media Award for Supreme Contribution to Irish Journalism. As Ireland’s Government Press Secretary from 1994 to 1997 he was a member of the Taoiseach's official delegation and was also spokesperson for the EU during Ireland's Presidency in 1996. From 1998 to 2002 he was business editor for RTÉ. He has travelled widely on international news stories and is currently working on a documentary based on the Eastern Front in World War II. He continues to broadcast for RTÉ as an independent broadcaster and filmmaker through his production unit, Leader Productions. Mr Kenny has a BA in English, History and Economics from Trinity College Dublin, did postgraduate studies on journalism in Newcastle upon Tyne and is the author of two books on Irish politics.

Dr Reija Lilja is Research Director at the Labour Institute for Economic Research. After completing her Ph.D. in economics at the London School of Economics in 1986 she has studied various topics in the field of applied labour economics: family labour supply, working time, gender wage gap, early exit, unemployment duration, and career mobility. She is a correspondent for the SYSDEM (System of Documentation, Evaluation and Monitoring of Employment Policies) network for the European Commission, and a national correspondent for the EIRO (European Industrial Relations Observatory) network for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.

Micheál Martin TD was appointed Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in September 2004, prior to which he served as Minister for Health and Minister for Education and Science. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann for the constituency of Cork South Central in 1989. He was former Chair of the Oireachtas All Party Committee on the Irish Language, a member of the Dáil Committee on Crime and a member of the Dáil Committee on Finance and General Affairs. He was opposition spokesperson for Education and the Gaeltacht from 1995 to 1997. He was Lord Mayor of Cork for 1992-1993. Prior to his appointment as a Cabinet Minister, he was a member of a wide range of educational, community and local committees. He is a member of the Fianna Fail party and has previously been the National Chair of Ógra Fianna Fáil and was also a member of the Aims and Structures Commission within the Party. Minister Martin graduated from University College Cork with an MA in Political History and was previously a secondary school teacher.

Avril McDermott is HR Director for HP's Inkjet Manufacturing Operation based in Liffey Park Technology Campus in Leixlip, Ireland. Approximately 2000 people work in the facility, built in 1995, which manufactures cartridges for HP Inkjet Printers and also provides a R&D competency for HP. It's a 24x7 operation which prides itself in having a pro-active approach to all aspects of employee engagement and best practice. Ms McDermott was previously an EMEA HR Manager for Compaq before the companies merged and was a leader in the change management processes that occurred. Before that Avril was the Employee Relations Manager in An Post which employs 16,000 people across Ireland.

Samantha Mercer became Director to the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) in July 2000 - the first ever employer-led initiative to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce. The EFA is a campaigning organisation with over 160 employer members (representing 14% of the UK workforce). In addition to managing EFA on a day-to-day basis, she is responsible for determining key campaign issues with EFA employers, and the Forum’s relationship with Government and the media. She represents EFA’s 160 employers on the Government’s Age Advisory Group at present consulting on the future age legislation. Ms Mercer is also responsible for the EFA’s research programme.

Diane Perrons is Director of the Gender Institute at the London School of Economics. She also holds the position of Senior Lecturer in economic geography. Her areas of expertise are in economic and social restructuring, globalisation, gender and the new economy, with a special interest in changing employment composition, and gender inequalities. Her research projects are: New economy, work/life balance, equality and representation, financed by Leverhulme; and Work life and time in the new global economy, financed by the ESRC. She recently directed a comparative project for the European Union on flexible working and reconciling work and family life. Dr Perrons is also the author of several publications in her fields of expertise.

Tine Rostgaard has worked as a researcher at the Danish National Institute of Social Research since 1995 specialising in: social care policies for the elderly and children in a comparative perspective; consumerism in social care, quality in care, informal care; equality in distribution of services; and family obligations, welfare state models and social responsibility of enterprises. During 2002-2004 she carried out consultancy work for the OECD, UNESCO and UNICEF. She is a board member of Care Work and a member of RC19 (Research Committee on Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy) and holds a PhD from Syddansk Universitet, Odense.

Jeannine Rupp is Director of Professional and Personal Life Integration for Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP, an American law firm due to merge with the London firm Nicholson Graham & Jones on 1 January 2005. She will lead the firm's further development of cultures and policies that promote and sustain a healthy balance of professional and personal life responsibilities. During her earlier career, she focused on human capital and organisational development in various sectors of the legal industry, including academia, non-profit and for-profit organisations. She holds a MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology from the London School of Economics and is also a BA graduate of the Miami University of Ohio.

Wolfgang Seidl is EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) Director of Accor Services, responsible for consultancy, sales & clinical programmes. He is a Medical Doctor with in-depth training in Psychology and Psychosomatic Medicine, holds a Master’s degree in Psychiatry, Philosophy & Society, a Diploma in Counselling and has completed further training in various models of psychotherapy. He has worked as a university lecturer, he is a BACP accredited Counsellor and is a member of various psychotherapeutic and research organisations. He is a recognised expert in the field of Quality Enhancement Measures in Workplace Counselling and in the assessment of the organisational impact of employee assistance and work-life programmes in terms of their return on investment. Dr Seidl has published and presented papers in his areas of expertise and has given presentations at the 1st World Congress of Psychotherapy in Vienna, the 12th International Symposium for the Psychotherapy of Schizophrenia in London, the European Work/Life and Diversity Conferences in Brussels and Amsterdam, and at professional EAPA Conferences in the United States.