After 18 years of successful leadership and sustained global growth, David Plink transitions the CEO role to Adrian Seligman, effective 1 January 2026
AMSTERDAM – 13 November 2025 – Top Employers Institute, the HR certification, benchmarking, and advisory firm, today announces that David Plink will transition the CEO role to Adrian Seligman, effective 1 January 2026. Adrian has served on the Executive Leadership Team as Chief Commercial Officer for the past eight years. He has been instrumental in driving expansion, helping clients advance HR excellence, and deepening global partnerships.
Since joining the organisation in 2008, David has overseen Top Employers Institute’s growth from a small, ambitious company to a global authority in HR certification, benchmarking, and insights, now active in 125 countries. Under his leadership, the company has expanded its global footprint, scaled operations, and strengthened its influence in shaping HR practices worldwide.
“On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I want to thank David for his extraordinary leadership and dedication over the past 18 years,” said Peter Vrijsen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “He has played a pivotal role in establishing Top Employers Institute as a trusted partner for organisations worldwide, advancing our mission to improve the world of work and embedding a culture of purpose and deep collaboration with clients.”
With David at the helm, Top Employers Institute has achieved double-digit revenue growth as global companies increasingly seek to certify and benchmark their people practices to strengthen organisational performance.
“It has been a privilege to lead an organisation built on shared purpose and partnership,” said David Plink, CEO of Top Employers Institute. “Together with our employees, clients, and partners, we have grown in reach, impact, and conviction. I am confident that our company will continue to shape a better world of work in the years ahead, with fresh perspective and focus on customer-centric innovation under Adrian’s leadership.”
The Supervisory Board appointed Adrian following a rigorous external and internal search process as part of a planned CEO succession.
“With extensive experience in strategy, client partnerships, and organisational growth, Adrian is well positioned to lead Top Employers Institute into its next chapter. The Supervisory Board is confident that Adrian’s deep understanding of clients, his global perspective, and his passion for our purpose will ensure the organisation continues to flourish – delivering continuity, innovation, and lasting value for our clients worldwide,” continued Vrijsen.
The organisation moves into this new phase with a trusted global brand, strong financial foundation, and growing community of 2,400 certified Top Employers worldwide including Accenture, Deloitte, Infosys, Lamborghini, Mondelez, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Ericsson.
“HR leaders are navigating change on an unprecedented scale, in part driven by AI, global economic forces, and evolving workforce expectations,” said Adrian Seligman, incoming CEO. “As I step into my new role, my focus will be to accelerate innovation, benchmarking and advisory support that guide clients’ transformation priorities. This will in turn help global companies focus on the specific people strategies that drive business performance, employee engagement and growth. I am excited to lead Top Employers Institute – building on our culture, purpose, and talented team to deliver ever increasing value to our clients worldwide.”
Top Employers Institute enters this next chapter ready to shape the future of work for organisations and their people around the globe.
For more information visit: www.top-employers.com
About Top Employers Institute:
Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognising excellence in People Practices. We help accelerate these practices to enrich the world of work. Through the Top Employers Programme, participating companies can be certified and recognised as an employer of choice. The certification is awarded to organisations based on the participation and results of the HR Best Practices Survey covering six HR domains consisting of 20 topics such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity & Inclusion, and Wellbeing.
In 2025, Top Employers Institute certified more than 2,400 organisations in 125 countries/regions. These certified Top Employers positively impact the lives of over 13 million employees globally.
Top Employers Institute. For a better world of work.
Media contact:
Rosemary Lavender
TEI@brands2life.com
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