Sept. 7, 2023 – Specialisterren B.V., a leading IT service provider, is proud to announce the appointment of Ruud Hageman as CEO. He will succeed the company’s founder, Sjoerd van der Maaden, as of October 1, who is retiring after 15 years at the helm of the company.
Ruud Hageman brings a wealth of experience and entrepreneurship to his new role. He has worked in management and executive positions in various companies and industries and has earned his spurs within the ESG domain over the past 10 years. His leadership and passion for sustainable and inclusive business practices will play an important role in building on Specialisterren’s success.
Since an international merger in June 2023, Specialisterren is part of auticon, which holds a leading position in the field of neurodiversity and has a proven track record in deploying autistic talents in the IT sector. The partnership will enable Specialisterren to significantly expand its reach and social impact and strengthen its position as a distinctive IT specialist.
Sjoerd van der Maaden, founder and managing director, leaves Specialisterren in good hands and looks forward to a well-deserved retirement on January 1, 2024. He has laid a solid foundation for the company and contributed greatly to its growth and impact. “We demonstrate every day that digital transformation goes extremely well with social value creation. The basis for further growth and prosperity is strong and the ambition to further increase our impact is great. I therefore hand over the baton with great pleasure and full of confidence to Ruud and the team,” Sjoerd said.
Ruud Hageman commented, “I am pleased and proud to take on the role of CEO at Specialisterren at this landmark moment in the organization’s history. I look forward to working with the talented teams at Specialisterren and auticon and to achieving our mission of inclusivity, diversity and innovation in the IT world and beyond.”
About Specialisterren
Specialisterren is a leading IT service provider that specializes in leveraging the talent of autism to deliver high-quality IT services to renowned medium- and large-sized companies and organizations. The Utrecht-based company currently has 80 employees and specializes in Business Intelligence, RPA and Software Testing. Specialisterren is affiliated with Social Enterprise NL and included in the Register of Social Enterprises. In June 2023, Specialisterren (as part of Scandinavian company Unicus) joined forces with auticon. auticon has thus become the largest company in the world in which a majority of employees have a form of autism.
