A company's history tells it's story. For Undutchables, on our 25th anniversary we want to invite you to relive Undutchables' history by sharing a few glimpses of the past 25 years. It has been a good ride. Through the ups and downs, we were able to foster a beautiful company and community with strong values. We hope to continue the work we do and we thank everyone that has been a part of our story. Let's look back at the years that made Undutchables.

The Beginning

Ilse Visser and Judith van der Klundert founded Undutchables on the 5th of February 1996 in an attic in Amstelveen. At that time, of course recruitment agencies existed, but they saw the need for an international recruitment agency in the Netherlands, with Undutchables making it's name as the pioneer in international recruitment.

1998/1999
In 1998 they moved office to Amsterdam. This was also Undutchables’ first year hosting the Undutchables Eurovision Song Contest Party. The party that would go on for years and make it’s name amongst employees, candidates and clients alike.

When creating Undutchables, Ilse and Judith probably never realized that they were making more than just an agency. They have managed to create a community and a tight knit family of employees. The family culture that they have nursed endures to this day.

a long way from home

In the early 2000s co-founder Judith passed away of breast cancer. The whole organization felt the loss. Ilse Visser, with the support of then General Manager Paula Verstappen, continued to work hard to keep their vision alive. Undutchables experienced an immense growth in the 2000s and opened 4 new offices in Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht and the Hague. In 2008 the company even went international with Undutchables London opening their doors in London, Southampton street. That is the year, however, that the economy came crashing down and forced the company to close their doors. But just as the saying goes, "when one door closes another opens". And so it did.

A new age

With a strong team and fueled by Undutchables’ 4 core principles (partner, enterprising, personal touch and expertise) Undutchables continued to maintain prominence in the (international) recruitment industry.

2017 - A new door opened

In the beginning of 2017 Eindhoven colleague, Karin Bjorkman moved back to Sweden and she took a piece of Undutchables with her and founded Undutchables in Stockholm. And so, Undutchables Sweden was born.

A new look

2017 was the year for a new look. The Undutchables website received a full makeover. Out with the old and in with the new!

2018 - A new leader

The years prior to and up until 2018 have experienced their fair share of changes. One paramount change in the growth and future of Undutchables took place in 2018. 2018 was the year that Undutchables’ longtime commercial manager Nick van der Dussen was named, with the blessing of Ilse Visser and former General Manager Paula Verstappen, Undutchables’ new owner and General Manager. A fresh leader meant a fresh outlook on the company’s vision, naturally without losing sight of what has anchored Undutchables in it's success throughout the previous years.

With a focus on technology and the technological developments within this industry Undutchables continues to establish itself as the leader in the international recruitment market.

Challenges and Opportunities

2020 started of with flying colors however 3 months in the world came to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But just as Undutchables rose above the previous years and their challenges, so did we in 2020. We were able to quickly adapt, we transformed our offline operations and switched most of our business to online. Now, 2021 brings with it opportunities and 25 years strong. A serious milestone to celebrate and a commitment from us to you of our continued hard work to serve you.

Great people make great companies

Meet the people who have helped to build Undutchables into the organization it is now. We present to you four of the many employees that have been with the company the longest; Nick van der Dussen, Hasni van Deursen, Sie Wai Tsang and Marjan Stoit. Ingrained with the true essence of what the company stands for, these seasoned workers (along with our other seasoned employees) pass down their knowledge to the new comers.

Undutchables' Songfestivals - a journey through time

In 1999 Undutchables organized their first Eurovision Songfestival party as the years passed by the Songfestival gained much traction and was well known amongst all of our candidates and clients alike. It grew from just being a Songfestival get-together to later becoming a fully themed costume party with acts such as “Fire-breathers, Chinese dragon dance and Aerial Silk Dance”. After 20 years of organizing a great party we celebrated our last Songfestival party in 2019 and who could have imagined that, that was also the year The Netherlands took the win.