1. Brussels, 30 April 2015
Recommendation Letter
To whom it may concern,
Mrs. Chantal van Berkum is working as a Personal Assistant to the Deputy Secretary
General, Marije Laffeber, from 13 August 2013 until 22 April 2015. She provided the PES
with invaluable support, also during the campaign for the European Parliament Elections
in 2014.
During her stay at our headquarter, Chantal was a well-integrated member in our team.
In a short period of time she was able to establish an outstanding relationship of trust
with the Deputy Secretary General, which is essential in such a position.
Chantal’s major strengths are her proactive and enthusiastic personality, her ability to
multitask and of course her excellent organisational skills. Chantal is efficient and
reliable in carrying out her duties and consistently showed a lot of flexibility and a strong
ability for improvisation. She is capable of respecting all deadlines, however short, dealt
remarkably well with stressful situations, finding the best possible solutions to problems
whenever they arose.
Should Chantal, in future, choose to work in a political environment, I have no doubt she
will contribute greatly to which ever organisation employs her.
Her main tasks included:
 Providing support to the Deputy Secretary General;
 Managing the Deputy Secretary General’s agenda; invitations, meeting agenda;
 Screening incoming calls and emails; taking messages or responding as required;
 Assisting at congresses, conferences, meetings and seminars;
 Coordinating and preparing travel arrangements, including accommodation for the
Deputy Secretary General, staff members, speakers;

2.  Taking care of meeting preparation: registration, room setting, (visual) materials,
catering;
 Welcoming and follow up of visitors;
 Organizing and maintaining an accurate and efficient filing system;
 Contributing to other duties as assigned.
We wish Mrs. Chantal van Berkum all the best in her future career.
Yours sincerely,
Achim Post
Secretary General