Meet the candidates

If you are not attending the IAPA Annual General Meeting and you are a full voting member, make sure your vote counts and complete the proxy form before Wednesday, 16 March 2016.

General Board member

Ellen Heesen-Hiemstra

Owner

House-o-Orange Au Pairs

The Netherlands

Biography

I was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands but raised in Tokyo, Japan and further educated in Oxford, UK and The Netherlands. After quitting medical school in The Netherlands I switched to business and obtained a bachelor in marketing and communication. My love for medicine led to a career in the pharmaceutical industry with companies such as Procter&Gamble and Hoffmann La Roche, but after having 3 kids in 17 months, I realized that a full-time career at a multinational was not flexible enough for a busy mom and I left in 2000 in order to start my own Au Pair company. My company has grown from strength to strength and now has a second office in Cape Town, our head office is in The Hague, The Netherlands.

I have had a lot of board experience over the past 15 years and have been president of the Dutch Branch organization BONAPA as well as being on the board of ECAPS. I have always been active on different committees and have been a member of IAPA for over 10 years. Now that all my children are grown and studying (two of them in New York City), I have the time to take on a new challenge and would love to be part of IAPA’s growth process.

Statement of intent

I would like to be on the board of IAPA to help IAPA grow as part of the confederation and to see IAPA move forward. I aim to bring a lot of expertise and international knowledge to this board. Having grown up overseas and being used to sharing a classroom with 36 nationalities, I think I have a unique outlook on life and on people which will aid me in understanding the different IAPA members and in representing their interests.

I would love to see IAPA grow in under represented areas such as Africa and am also eager to tackle the problems that internet matching seems to cause our members.

Chairperson

Delphine Vaills

Office manager

Europair Services

France

Biography

I have been in the au pair industry for almost 20 years and attended my first IAPA conference in Paris in 1997. With running the French agency Europair Services in Paris and being a former au pair myself, I have experience on both sides of the business and I can say that I love my job and I am fully committed to it!
I am a founding member of UFAAP, the French Union of Au pair Agencies, and have been the Chair since 2010 until now. UFAAP now represents 13 agencies working to improve the quality and the image of the au pair system in France; we are also in contact with the French authorities.

Statement of Intent

I am convinced that my experience within UFAAP combined with my knowledge of IAPA and its members is a valuable asset to be a good chair. Being a board member of IAPA for 3 years has enabled me to have a better understanding of the business on an International level. I hope that we will communicate more with the members and we will do our best to help the national Associations with their issues. You can trust me that I will dedicate all time necessary to make IAPA stronger and prosperous.