Sabine Van Hooijdonk-Verboom is the Executive Group People Director at Royal BAM Group in Bunnik, the Netherlands. She was previously the Global DE&I Lead and Executive HR Business Partner at JDE Peet’s Coffee, and has held various senior HR positions in Royal Philips and Signify.

What excites you about working for the Royal BAM Group?

The reason I joined Royal BAM Group is because it's a purpose-led organization. It's intentional and a front runner in sustainability within the industry.

For me, it is important to work for a company that brings positivity to the world and to its communities from a Planet and People perspective, that is why I work for Royal BAM Group.

What do you perceive the biggest challenge to be at Royal BAM Group and your role over the next 12 months?

We have just launched our sustainability strategy; this is a big milestone for our company and for the industry at large. We have also introduced five new values into BAM: Sustainable, Inclusive, Reliable, Ownership and Collaborative.  

We also see that the world around us is volatile, which means we need an adaptive organisation that can easily transform to the needs of the market. Stepping up in strategic workforce management will also support us, giving a longer-term view on the workforce requirements for our future.

We have over 13,000 employees working for BAM; we need to have an attractive Employee Value Proposition and get better insights into our workforce. We have untapped potential in our employees, which we want to fully leverage, so they can be the best version of themselves.

A lot of opportunities for HR to contribute and make impact, which is also captured in our new People strategy.

Would you say that, from an HR perspective, is it a very data-driven organization or is that a journey that you're on at the moment?

BAM has made good progress in becoming a more data-driven organization in HR. In 2021, we implemented SuccessFactors and Crunchr, which gives us very interesting insights into our workforce.

Data also brings more objectivity to the discussion, which is important when you have People discussions, because it's a space where bias can easily come into play.

Our next phase in our digital journey is to move more towards predictive analytics.

If we look back over the last 12 months, what are the key learnings?

The biggest lesson for me has been to keep an eye on the end game and bring focus. That is how you drive impact, focus and connect the dots (thinking end-to-end).

Another thing I’ve noticed is that, even though I might be very eager to drive a change, the organization also needs to be ready for that change. So, timing is everything!

What is one of the myths about the HR profession you'd like to debunk?

At times, the People function is still underestimated, but - in the end, in every business - it all comes down to your own employees. Are they engaged, do they feel recognized, are they able to develop themselves, do they feel they can be their true selves?

How do you see the HR function evolving and changing in the coming years?

The further digitalization of HR is inevitable, as the operational tasks are not where HR can make the biggest impact as a function. The need for predictive analytics is also growing by the day.

The war for talent will require organizations to have a strong Employee Value Proposition that they live up to. It is all about the experience that you can offer as a company.

The focus on DE&I [Diversity, Equity & Inclusion] will put pressure on organizations to remove bias from their People processes, to secure an inclusive culture that is able to leverage the potential of diversity. 

We have exciting years ahead of us...

Looking back on your career, are there any things that have happened that have been particularly surprising or maybe highlights for you?

What I didn't expect when I started working was that it’s been very important at certain points in my career to have moments to reflect, to also allow myself space to feel comfortable and not always be in the stretch zone. I have, for example, declined promotions because the timing was not right.

You need to get in touch with yourself, to know your purpose, what drives you, what your strengths and weaknesses are in order to develop as a leader. The more responsibility you have in an organization, the more it's about leadership and the example that you set for the rest of the organization. It comes with a big responsibility!

Are there any books/blogs/podcasts you’d recommend?

I have three children that keep me busy, but I do listen quite a lot to podcasts, particularly when I'm doing sports. I have a few inspiring people I often listen to:

One is Brené Brown. She always has really interesting insights, for example, around vulnerability, that I can then use as inspiration in my work, but also for my own development.

I read a book recently, titled Born to Change the Game, by Carla Clarissa van Stralen. It's all about gender balance and how women can change the game, how women, within their communities - but also at work - can challenge the status quo and can bring their feminine leadership to the table.

We can change leadership, we can change the culture of companies and bring positive contribution to the people at the workplace, but also for our families and the communities we’re engaged in - how powerful is that?

Thank you to Sabine for speaking to Katie Insley, Associate Director in our HR recruitment team in the Netherlands.

Views and opinions contained within our Executive Interviews are those of the interviewee and not views shared by EMEA Recruitment.