About Us

Expert in employee participation and labor relations

Our team

Our team brings together experienced professionals with deep expertise in employee participation and organizational change. We have guided numerous complex advisory and consent processes, as well as high-stakes negotiations.

Having worked closely with both works councils and executive teams, we understand the dynamics, challenges, and perspectives on both sides of the table. We focus on finding balanced solutions that truly work, for the organization and its people alike.

We also collaborate with a trusted network of legal, HR, and communications experts. When additional expertise is needed, we can bring in the right specialists to create tailored solutions that fit your organization’s needs.

Clim Parren

Founder CouncilWorks
Clim is founder of CouncilWorks and specialist in employee participation and labor relations. Clim helps works councils and executive teams reach decisions that truly work in practice — supported by both the organization and its people. As an HR Director in a range of industries, he has guided both newly formed works councils and leadership teams through complex processes such as mergers, reorganizations, and negotiations. His approach is strategic, people-focused, and always aimed at progress.

Serena Kouwenhoven

Serena is a HR professional with a strong track record in leading and successfully delivering complex organizational change. She helps organizations translate strategic visions into practical, well-supported transformation programs. Skilled at managing stakeholders in dynamic environments, Serena creates alignment, momentum, and lasting commitment. She has built her experience in both leading corporates and fast-growing scale-ups, with a deep focus on the tech sector. Her approach centers on long-term impact — connecting people and purpose throughout major reorganizations and transformations.

Robert Jan van Dam

Robert Jan van Dam is an employee participation expert and specialist in effective works council governance. With years of experience as both a works council chair and advisor across various sectors, he knows exactly how works councils can collaborate with management in a professional and strategic way — with visible impact on decision-making. His strength lies in combining deep subject-matter expertise with an approachable, hands-on style. Always focused on results, relationships, and what works in everyday practice.

Join our team

You?
At CouncilWorks, we’re always looking for people who share our passion for effective employee participation and strong workplace dialogue. Whether you’re an experienced professional or ready for your next step, we’d love to hear from you. We’re open to meeting people who want to help build better decision-making and collaboration within organizations.

Join our team

At CouncilWorks, we’re always looking for people who share our passion for effective employee participation and strong workplace dialogue. Whether you’re an experienced professional or ready for your next step, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re open to meeting people who want to help build better decision-making and collaboration within organizations.

Our Mission

At CouncilWorks, we make employee participation work. We train and support works councils and employers on participation issues and during complex transitions such as reorganizations, mergers, and negotiations on employment conditions.

Our strength lies in having experience on both sides of the table. We understand how and when to exercise real influence. Not just through formal processes, but where it truly matters: in practice, with an eye for both results and relationships.

Our Vision

CouncilWorks believes that balanced labor relations are the key to healthy, agile, and future-ready organizations. Employee participation creates real value only when it works in practice. As a constructive partnership between employees and employers, not as a box-ticking exercise.

We aim for a working Netherlands where participation drives shared growth and progress.

Our Mission

At CouncilWorks, we make employee participation work. We train and support works councils and employers on participation issues and during complex transitions such as reorganizations, mergers, and negotiations on employment conditions.

Our strength lies in having experience on both sides of the table. We understand how and when to exercise real influence. Not just through formal processes, but where it truly matters: in practice, with an eye for both results and relationships.

Our Vision

CouncilWorks believes that balanced labor relations are the key to healthy, agile, and future-ready organizations. Employee participation creates real value only when it works in practice. As a constructive partnership between employees and employers, not as a box-ticking exercise.

We aim for a working Netherlands where participation drives shared growth and progress.

Our DNA

At CouncilWorks, our work is grounded in four principles — they define how we build trust, create progress, and make participation work.

Equality

We believe in balanced relationships where all voices matter — between us, our clients, and between employers and employees.

Practical Impact

Turning participation into real results — timely, strategic, and effective in practice.

Mutual Understanding

Bridging perspectives through experience on both sides of the table.

Transparency

Open, honest communication that builds trust and drives progress.