Erwin van der Graaf has been appointed as chairman and figurehead of the Hospitality Pact, the collaboration for the labour market in which vocational education, together with companies and organisations from the hospitality, recreation, event, and travel sectors, have joined forces to reduce the staff shortage.
Erwin van der Graaf works at the hotel chain Accor and is a well-known Industry Leader in the sector. Erwin’s career is very extensive, from General Manager in various Accor hotels to recently as Vice President of Operations managed hotels for Accor Western Europe. Additionally, he is chairman of the Industry Advisory Board of Stenden NHL University and involved with, among others, Koninklijke hospitality Nederland and previously with the Pension Fund for Hospitality and Catering. Erwin is truly someone from the sector who is also deeply rooted in society, making him the perfect candidate to act as the figurehead of the Pact.
“The success of the hospitality sector depends on the passion of the people working in this wonderful sector. The hospitality sector is one of the most enjoyable industries to work in, to build a career in, and to engage in lifelong learning. The sector's contribution to social well-being and social cohesion in the Netherlands is enormous. To then be allowed to become chairman of the Hospitality Pact is a great honour and pleasure for me,” says Erwin.
The Hospitality Pact was launched in July 2023 and is a unique collaboration between numerous organisations, companies, and vocational education in the hospitality and leisure sector. It is a response to the challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s labour market. And these challenges are significant: while the influx of new talent into the sector has been under pressure for several years, the annual outflow is high. Through the Hospitality Pact, parties work together in a triple helix model on the one hand to attract and retain staff in the hospitality and leisure sector and on the other hand to upskill and reskill staff.
This requires Insights Your career and collaboration. The pact provides a ‘compass’ to work on promoting and improving the labour market of the travel, recreation, food service, events industry, and hospitality. The Hospitality Pact is widely supported: Koninklijke hospitality Nederland, ANVR, HISWA-RECRON, CLC-Vecta, Veneca, CELTH (Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality), the MBO council, the HBO, and FNV Horecabond are part of the steering group, and the initiative is widely supported in the sector and by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.