Tony de Graaf is a globally recognized Talent Acquisition change leader and the co-creator of the Recruiting Excellence Methodology—a practical, data-driven framework that helps organizations consistently hire the right talent, on time, and in a cost-effective way. With deep expertise in designing and operationalizing high-performing TA functions, Tony is known for turning recruitment into a strategic advantage rather than a purely administrative process.
Tony held international TA leadership positions across e-commerce, fashion, and retail—including roles at McGregor, Gaastra, and Wehkamp—and later built and led the global strategy consulting practice at SmartRecruiters, where he authored one of the industry’s most widely adopted TA frameworks.
Today, through Recruiting Excellence, Tony enables TA teams of all sizes—from scale-ups to global enterprises—to transform recruitment into a strategic business advantage. The methodology is exceptionally easy to adopt and scale, delivering measurable outcomes through clear structure, practical tools, and a focus on real-world execution.
He is a sought-after speaker and advisor known for challenging outdated practices and empowering TA leaders with high-impact, actionable solutions.
Read our interview with Tony HERE!
Time: 23 May, 11:25 - 12:15
Location: Manpower Room - 1st Floor
Join Tony de Graaf for an interactive workshop, "Hiring Assessment Methodology – Improve Your TA Processes," where you'll dive into a Merit-Based Hiring approach designed to eliminate bias from your recruitment strategy. Participants will design their own job intake meeting structure and interview scorecards, using real roles from their organizations. Walk away with practical tools to transform your talent acquisition process into a fair, effective, and future-proof system.
Join this session with a challenge: NOTHING on the requirements for the job can be related to; years of experience, education, job titles, or previously worked companies.
Time: 22 May, 16:10 - 16:45
Location: Mainstage - Ground Floor
In this provocative and forward-looking conversation, Tony de Graaf sits down with Kevin Wheeler and Bogdan Badea to explore the questions most companies avoid—but urgently need to face. From the death of the resume and the rise of skills-based hiring, to the Uberization of job seeking through mobile and AI-powered platforms, this session unpacks how the talent market is fundamentally shifting.
The panel will explore the ongoing power struggle between employers and candidates, the looming obsolescence of today’s recruiter roles, and which AI developments could actually replace human jobs next. Finally, they’ll zoom out to ask the bigger societal questions: What happens if millions lose their jobs to automation? Will universal basic income save us—or are we standing on the edge of societal collapse?
This session isn’t just another trend forecast—it’s an unfiltered look at the future that’s already arriving faster than we’re ready for. Prepare to be challenged.
