Our story

Inspired by the Network of Executive Women in the U.S.A., Mick Broekhof, Managing Partner Kalypso, found a need for an organization with a similar vision and mission in Europe. In Autumn 2011, Mick organized the first meeting with 13 European female executives from his network. In 2014, LEAD Network was officially established by Mick Broekhof and Helayne Angelus in the Netherlands as a non-profit foundation.

Helayne, Partner Kalypso, says, “Both retailers and manufacturers have similar challenges – women in the upper echelons of their organizations do not have the opportunity to share and create business opportunities regularly. And they lack ready access to role models and training. LEAD Network provides this community to share learning about leadership from others and ultimately to drive business development among its membership.

The organization has grown to 18,000+ members, 26 committees, 10 country chapters, 2 functional chapters, 1 NextGen chapter , 1 digital chapter and 378 volunteers, all working together toward LEAD Network’s mission.

Mick Broekhof is Co-founder and Secretary of the LEAD Network Executive Committee

Helayne Angelus is Co-founder and  Past Chair of the LEAD Network Advisory Board