ISW

A number of professors and psychologists from the Universities of Leuven and Nijmegen specialised in work organisation, behaviour, health and well-being set up the Institute for Stress and Work (ISW). They are later joined by professors from the Universities of Liège and Louvain-la-Neuve.

Under the leadership of the CEO Dirk Antonissen, the young company in this brand new field, grows quickly by translating research findings in clinical and health psychology into professional tools and intervention methods.

ISW Limits

Limits was a company, led by Maureen Luyens and was established in 1993 in response to the Belgian Royal Decree on tackling unwanted sexual behaviour in private companies (1992). The company was specialised in violence, harassment and unwanted sexual behaviour at work and provided mediation, training to mediators and policies related to respectful behaviour at work. Government services used Limits as a central reporting point for Schools and for the civil servants of the Flemish government.

Dirk Antonissen and Maureen Luyens join forces to become ISW Limits and to provide a unique service for psychosocial well-being. ISW Limits expands further under Dirk Antonissen as CEO.

The company becomes a frontrunner for innovative projects and science-based tools and services. Many companies partner with ISW Limits for employee assistance programmes (EAP), for quantitative and qualitative surveys, for paths, guidance and training courses on well-being, respectful and cooperative relations, health, satisfaction and productivity at work.

ISW Eupora

Eupora Counselling Services and ISW Limits decide to merge.

Eupora Counselling Services was founded by Bénédicte Taymans d’Eypernon and Marcel Willems. It was one of the first companies to offer EAP in Belgium.

With this merger, under the leadership of the three managing partners Dirk Antonissen, Bénédicte Taymans d’Eypernon and Marcel Willems, the company continues to lead the way in Europe in the field of EAP, psychosocial risk analysis and online tools, and offers an extensive range of services related to well-being at work.

Pulso and its first Joint Ventures

In 2017 ISW Eupora is rebranded as Pulso Europe.

With their headquarter in the Benelux, Pulso Europe starts Joint Ventures in South East Europe and Portugal.

Pulso South East Europe

In 2017, a joint venture is set up together with PLAS, associated with PLANET, the leading Greek management consulting and project management company providing high value adding services in South East Europe. The office of Pulso South East Europe is based in Athens and is led by Kostas Giannakopoulos.

Pulso Portugal

Also in 2017 Pulso Europe Portugal is established by Pulso Europe and Capaconselhamento, the then leading EAP company in Portugal, founded and managed by Manuel Sommer and Lucilia Ribeiro. The new venture, led by Manuel and Luci grows quickly by taking over the activities and services of Capaconselhamento and by offering in addition the tools and services of the whole Pulso Group.

Pulso underlines its ambitions with a new key shareholder

The large German hospital group "Asklepios Kliniken" acquires a majority stake.

Asklepios' ambition is to turn Pulso Europe into the market leader, not only for the Benelux, Portugal and Greece but for the whole of Europe.

For that goal, Pulso Europe becomes Pulso Group, by creating synergies also with the German EAP providers, which already are part of the Asklepios group such as Insite Interventions.

The three current partners of Pulso Europe Dirk Antonissen, Bénédicte Taymans d'Eypernon and Marcel Willems remain minority shareholder of the Company

Pulso France

Pulso opens its newest joint venture in Paris. Brigitte VAUDOLON, a recognised thought leader, specialist in the prevention of psychosocial risks and well-being at work has been appointed to lead PULSO France.

LEADERSHIP EVOLUTION

After the retirement of our co-founder Bénédicte Taymans d’Eypernon, the triumvirate becomes, with Dirk Antonissen and Marcel Willems, a two-headed leadership.