From first employee to CEO: a new chapter for Waldon

After years of dedicated leadership, our CEO Ellen De Vleeschouwer is leaving Waldon. But the future of our company remains in good hands. Eva Deschans - Waldon's very first employee - is now taking the wheel. In this interview, we look back on Ellen's journey and Eva shares her vision for the next phase of Waldon. 

Ellen: “A few years ago, I was responsible for the health insurance market and product development at AG Insurance, including Guaranteed Income. There I saw the impact of stress-related conditions such as burnout and depression on both individuals and organisations. As a result, in 2017 I launched a revamped Guaranteed Income with a multidisciplinary return-to-work programme. A  programme that, to date, has been proposed to almost 10,000 people! The return-to-work programme inspired me to look beyond reintegration and also focus on prevention. With the support of the AG management committee, I founded AG Health Partner, later Waldon, with the aim of making a positive contribution to wellbeing in the workplace.”

Ellen: “When launching Waldon, my main goal was to take wellbeing and prevention out of the fluffy context and work in a more evidence-based way. We immediately started collaborating with the Vigor Unit (a spinoff of Ghent University) to develop a scientific definition of wellbeing and implement it in organisations in a substantiated way. 

Our values – impact, humanity and optimism – actually reflect our goals perfectly. The human factor is essential to us: we believe that wellbeing cannot be achieved through digital tools alone. It is the human factor that makes the difference. I am glad that these values are now well integrated into our services and that they are visible in everything we do.”

Ellen: “There are so many milestones, but if I had to name a few, I would definitely think of the launch of our wellbeing platform My Health Partner with our first clients. Expedition AG is certainly another one. That was a two-day event organised for the more than 130 senior executives of AG where social, mental and physical wellbeing were the central theme. The launch of our ‘My Mind’ programme for the AG Employer Benefits client portfolio was also an important step. This gave more than 500,000 employees access to psychological support. And in the meantime, our team has grown from a one-woman show to 16 amazing individuals who keep doing more than I ever thought possible.”

Ellen: “The major challenges for Belgian organisations in the area of employee wellbeing are the rising number of mental health issues, with 3 out of 10 employees experiencing poor psychological wellbeing. Global issues can also have an impact in the workplace. Employers will need to create a safe and supportive environment. This is not easy, as you have to consider the need for connection and strengthening the group feeling on the one hand and the advantages of working from home for psychological wellbeing on the other. It is also important to address the mental health of young people, who are showing the highest ever rates of anxiety disorders and mental illness. Employers must provide a context in which employees feel safe, can develop and build resilience, despite the economic challenges.”

Ellen: ‘The “baby” has now grown into an adult with a mature range of services and a solid partner network. We now know exactly what impact we can have and enjoy the trust of our clients. The future looks bright. Our DNA is clear, our services have been developed and the team is operational. I am convinced that Waldon, under Eva's leadership, with the support of our board of directors and the team, has a bright future ahead of it.” 

Eva: “My career has always revolved around wellbeing. I started in the temp sector and progressed to commercial positions. Later I had the opportunity to work as a prevention advisor at UZ Gent, where I focused on psychosocial wellbeing. After that I was an HR consultant for psychosocial wellbeing at Lidl. 

I joined Waldon - back then still AG Health Partner - in 2019. I was the first employee to sign a contract. As corporate Wellbeing Manager, I did a bit of everything: product development, sales, project implementations and marketing. As the company grew, I was given the opportunity to grow further and became Product Development Director. Last year, we split sales and implementation, which changed my position to Customer Success & Innovation Director.”

Eva: “My experience at Waldon has given me a wide range of skills and insights that will be invaluable to me in my new role as CEO. I am thinking, for example, of developing innovative and customer-oriented solutions, having a broad understanding of customer needs, rolling out strategic partnerships, but above all, how I can create a positive and productive working environment.”

Eva: “What inspired me to make the transition to CEO is a combination of my passion for wellbeing and my extensive work experience. I believe that with this background, I can have a positive impact on both the company and the people who work there. It is also important for the team behind Waldon to have a passionate leader who gives them the confidence to grow further in the wonderful organisation that is Waldon.”

Eva: “I want to continue Ellen's work by holding on to our mission, vision and values, with an extra focus on ownership, empathy and communication. It is important that roles and responsibilities are clear, so that we support autonomy and stimulate growth, while keeping the workload in balance. My first task as CEO is to talk to the team about their expectations. I also want to strengthen a culture of open communication and trust. It is a challenge to manage the enthusiastic team and focus on priorities that contribute to Waldon's goals.”

Eva: “Waldon remains committed to real impact, with people at the centre and an optimistic view of the future. Together with our partners and customers, we want to build sustainable change with genuine commitment and innovative solutions. Our goal is clear: to embed wellbeing in organisations and thus create a positive impact on both individuals and the wider community.”