Belgian and Estonian HR leaders to head Europe’s federation of national people-management associations from January 2027
The European Association for People Management (EAPM) has elected David Ducheyne (Belgium) as its next President and Kai Saard (Estonia) as its next Vice-President. Both were elected by the EAPM Delegates Assembly at its Annual Meeting in Athens. Their three-year terms will begin on 1 January 2027.
Ducheyne, founding president of hrpro.be, the Belgian Association of HR Professionals, has served as EAPM Vice-President since January 2024. He will succeed Berna Öztınaz (PERYÖN, Türkiye), whose presidential term concludes at the end of 2026.
Saard, CEO of the Estonian HR Association PARE, has been a member of the EAPM Board since January 2025 and will succeed Ducheyne as Vice-President.
A mandate from Europe’s HR associations
The EAPM brings together 35 national HR associations across Europe and is the European continental representative at the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA). Through the EAPM network, it supports the HR profession by connecting national associations, sharing knowledge and experience, and enabling collaboration across borders.
The EAPM Board is elected by the Delegates Assembly, the association’s governing body, in which each Full Member association is represented. The Athens meeting, hosted by the Greek People Management Association (GPMA), also welcomed new Board members, Arpi Karapetyan (Armenia) and Ivan Papič (Slovenia). The 2027 Annual Meeting will take place in Bled, Slovenia.
Connecting Europe’s HR community
The new leadership will work with the Board, member associations, working groups and Secretariat to strengthen EAPM’s contribution to the people-management profession across Europe.
David Ducheyne – President
David Ducheyne is the founding president of hrpro.be, the Belgian Association of HR Professionals, and brings almost 30 years of experience in HR and business. An organisational psychologist by training, he is a consultant, certified board director, author of Sustainable Leadership and co-author of two books on the customisation of work. He joined the EAPM Board in 2022 after serving as the association’s Auditor, and has been Vice-President since 2024.
“It is a great honour to be entrusted with the presidency of the EAPM. Leadership, learning and collaboration shape the world, and that is exactly what the EAPM is about: bringing Europe’s HR associations together so that the profession can build the capabilities organisations, teams and people need. I look forward to chairing the Board with Kai and to working with every one of our member associations.”
David Ducheyne
Kai Saard – Vice-President
Kai Saard has led the Estonian HR Association PARE, Estonia’s largest HR network with more than 500 member organisations and individuals, since March 2022. Under her leadership PARE has launched the Estonian Work Life Manifesto, the Good Leadership Circle and Good Leadership Month, and updated the national HR competency model. She has served on the EAPM Board since January 2025, with a focus on international cooperation, communication and the link between the Board and the working groups; before that she chaired the EAPM Communications Working Group.
“Leadership quality shapes both the results of organisations and people’s lives beyond work. European cooperation lets us share what we have learned in Estonia and learn from other countries. I want to help good ideas travel from one country to another and actually get used.”
Kai Saard
Building on Berna Öztınaz’s leadership
EAPM thanks outgoing President Berna Öztınaz for her leadership during her three-year presidency and her previous years as Vice-President, Board member and her wider contribution to the association since joining the Board in 2020. Öztınaz became EAPM’s first female President in January 2024.
“It has been a privilege to serve as President of the EAPM and to see how much our member associations achieve when they work together. David has been a trusted partner throughout my term, and Kai has brought fresh energy and a real talent for connecting people to the Board. The association is in excellent hands, and I look forward to supporting them in the years ahead.”
Berna Öztınaz, EAPM President
Ducheyne and Saard will work with Öztınaz, the Board and the Secretariat to prepare for the start of their terms on 1 January 2027.