The Story Behind Validata
Validata Group was founded in 2009 by Harm Voogt and Job van der Weijden in Amsterdam, driven by their shared vision to improve the efficiency of employment screening. With backgrounds in law, business, and recruitment, Harm and Job recognized a clear gap in the market: the process of checking candidate credentials was fragmented and time-consuming, often hampered by issues in data collection and privacy. By establishing partnerships with trusted data sources, such as the Dutch government organization DUO, they aimed to streamline the employment screening process, making it simpler, more reliable, and faster for organizations to verify candidate information securely.
As their team grew with the addition of Bart Bijkerk in 2011, Validata expanded its capabilities and evolved from a small startup, initially called CV-OK, into a comprehensive screening solution named the Validata Group. With a focus on innovation and client needs, they quickly became a market leader in employment screening across the Netherlands and beyond. Today, with headquarters in Amsterdam and a subsidiary in Stockholm, they serve over 1,000 clients across Europe, supporting organizations in hiring honest and capable employees while maintaining compliance with privacy laws and industry regulations.
DISA Global Solutions Acquires Validata
As of February 1, 2024, Validata Group has officially joined DISA Global Solutions, a leader in employee screening and compliance services. This acquisition, DISA’s second international expansion within a year, marks a major step in our journey toward a unified, global approach to background screening.
With the integration of Validata’s innovative screening platform and expert team, DISA is positioned to provide even greater value to our clients worldwide. Validata’s experience in compliance, risk management, and European data protection standards strengthens DISA's commitment to excellence, customer service, and the highest standards of security. Together, we’re prepared to serve thousands of multinational clients and conduct over a quarter-million screenings annually, ensuring compliant, efficient, and secure background checks across borders. This partnership sets a new standard in international screening solutions, blending strengths that redefine our approach to global workforce management.
Story behind the founders
In 2009, Validata Group was founded in Amsterdam by Harm Voogt and Job van der Weijden. Being a Law graduate and having worked in the Staffing and Recruitment sector for many years, Harm had grown to understand the market’s requirements and also what was missing.
Checking relevant data of (potential) employees had proven to be an inefficient process; personal data and paperwork were fragmentally collected by various departments. Therefore, many organisations were experiencing long turnaround times and data-sharing issues.
However, it was not until Harm came across DUO, a government organisation responsible for registering all Dutch diploma’s and degrees, that he spotted a real business opportunity. If he could establish professional data partnerships, organisations would not have to struggle with the fragmented and privacy-sensitive process of collecting and checking personal (potential) employee data. Moreover, companies would not have to face the challenge of accessing numerous (inter)national data sources to verify information.
Onboarding the team
When Job was introduced to the idea, he was triggered by the simplicity and its great potential. Having graduated in Business Economics in Rotterdam and been involved in several entrepreneurial businesses, he started with Heineken and worked in several commercial positions. He left Heineken for an investment fund where he closely observed several start- and scale-ups. He was an entrepreneur, but missed the dynamics of his own product and instantly knew that this was a unique opportunity. Together, Harm and Job established CV-OK, a small venture that would later become known as Validata Group.
In 2011, Bart Bijkerk joined CV-OK. By this time, Bart had also directed several businesses and experienced many years working in the HR and Recruitment sector. Together with his deep understanding of ICT staffing, coaching, and account management, he was eager to become involved in this niche opportunity and further develop the innovative business with Harm and Job.
The perfect solution?
Harm, Job, and Bart were certain that they had created the perfect solution for recruitment and secondment organisations, as these were keen to meet their clients’ expectations. Makes sense, right? Well, not exactly, CV-OK soon realised that its innovative solution was not yet ‘top of mind’ and awareness of digitised employment screening still needed to increase.
In the meantime, next to CV-OK, two additional solutions were initiated: Vrijwilliger-OK, to check the personal data of volunteers, and Wonen-OK, to screen tenants and home buyers.
From CV-OK to Validata Group
In 2016, CV-OK changed its name to Validata Group. A logical step, as next to checking the CVs of (potential) candidates, verifying additional information such as creditworthiness, criminal records, and integrity statements was becoming more important.
With the number of clients from various sectors steadily increasing, Validata’s expertise grew at a similar rate. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Validata became the market leader in employment screening for the Netherlands several years ago.
Fast-growing market
Nowadays, organisations increasingly focus on recruiting and retaining capable and honest employees. A wise move, not only because of risk management, but also to ensure compliance with current (privacy) laws and regulations.
Validata’s smart software solution is currently used by clients from all over the world, screening candidates from more than 60 countries. With numerous international data and HR software partnerships, Validata stays at the forefront of employment screening in Europe.
In addition to its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Validata recently opened a subsidiary in Stockholm, Sweden. This is an important step to further develop employment screening in the Nordics, and it allows Validata to help local organisations by sharing its deep knowledge and experience.
Harm Voogt, founder of Validata, about screening
Harm Voogt, Managing Director of Validata Group
“Organisations will never stop using employment screening. The current demand will even increase, as no organisation wants to go back to how it was before.”