The leadership group at Randstad RiseSmart has decades of combined experience working within the HR solutions and staffing industry, so they understand your business and its needs.
our leadership team.
michael smith
chief executive
As the Chief Executive Randstad Enterprise Solutions, Mike Smith brings over 18 years of experience in the talent acquisition industry. Starting as a graduate recruitment executive, he has since held various operational and leadership positions across Europe and Asia, including managing director for Southeast Asia, CEO of Randstad UK, managing director of Randstad Sourceright in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and global CEO of Randstad Sourceright.
Focused on building long-term strategic client relationships with the largest corporations in the world, Mike intentionally drives a culture of innovation and collaboration across all businesses and teams he works with. He consistently brings Randstad's unique “tech and touch” thinking to client conversations to help them solve complex talent challenges and create sustainable business value and agility.
Mike regularly provides insights to business and trade media, is an active member of Fortune CEO Initiative, Global 50, World Employment Confederation and Recruitment & Employment Confederation, and serves on the advisory board of the Blind Institute of Technology (BIT).
jean francois vezina
interim managing director
Jean-François (JF) serves as interim Managing Director of Randstad RiseSmart. Previously he was Global Chief Strategy Officer at Randstad Enterprise and Sourceright. JF has held further senior roles at Randstad, including leading the Sourceright Canada business. At his core is a client-centric approach that yields tangible results. In addition, JF is hugely passionate about people development and growth, recognizing its importance in overall business success. Notably, he co-founded Ride for Myriam, an event aimed at raising funds for cancer research.
jennifer aubin-anthony
chief financial officer
Having led Randstad Sourceright through significant organizational growth, Jennifer has been instrumental to the success of our business since her appointment as CFO in 2021 and continues to oversee the finance team responsible for Randstad Sourceright North America, including Mexico, global accounts and RiseSmart.
lindsay witcher
future managing director and svp sales and customer success
Lindsay is the SVP of Sales and Customer Success North America at Randstad RiseSmart. She is an industry-recognized career transitions and coaching expert, shaping and defining RiseSmart's Outplacement and Worklife Coaching solutions. She has extensive experience across all areas of the RiseSmart business and is driven by a passion for meeting the evolving talent needs of our customers.
vikash chauhan
chief technology officer
As CTO, Vikash is key to the evolution and expansion of Randstad RiseSmart’s Product Development organization and provides leadership for the product management and engineering teams and Randstad RiseSmart’s offshore development center. He is responsible for strategic leadership in the development of new technologies to further solidify Randstad RiseSmart’s position as the global leader and number one innovator in the outplacement and talent mobility industry.
arco elsman
managing director - europe
Arco Elsman is responsible for ensuring the successful and consistent delivery of Randstad RiseSmart’s services in Europe. Arco most recently served at MD of Twago, Randstad’s freelancer community/platform where he transformed the organization from a start-up to a market-ready business. Prior to Twago, Arco held senior management roles at Randstad in professional staffing (Yacht), outplacement (HR-Solutions), and RPO (currently RSR).
joel paul
managing director - APAC & MEA
Joel has been instrumental in the establishment and rapid growth of RiseSmart India. As a founding member of operations in India, Paul has successfully led the growth of RiseSmart India from just 2 people in 2008 to 150+ team members in 2020. In his role as Managing Director, Paul is responsible for the commercial, operational, and financial results of RiseSmart APAC & MEA.
joshua barlow
senior vice president, operations
Josh has been a key player in Randstad RiseSmart’s operational success. It’s his mission to improve our processes and build our teams so that we can meet and exceed our goals for effectiveness, excellence and customer satisfaction.
kevin gounden
senior vice president, product
Kevin is responsible for driving Randstad RiseSmart’s global growth strategy. By working closely with our teams around the world, he is focused on expanding Randstad RiseSmart’s global footprint and driving rapid implementation, seamless relationships, and robust processes among our international operations, delivery, and business teams.
