Host Hein Knaapen interviews Armand Sohet, CHRO of AkzoNobel, on how HR can be a direct lever for both revenue growth and cost efficiency. Armand argues that HR must first streamline itself, then partner with the CEO on a handful of hard KPIs tied to top-line, bottom-line, and culture. Thid conversation covers everything from span-of-control math that unlocked €120 million in savings to the importance of “importing stress and exporting energy,” and pitfalls like bloated engagement surveys and delusional workforce-planning models. Quotes from Johan Cruyff, Bob Sutton, and Edgar Schein punctuate a simple mantra: focus on the few moves that actually drive value.

00:00 – Welcome & Armand’s unconventional path from mathematics to CHRO across six multinationals

02:00 – Three HR levers on performance: top-line growth, bottom-line cost, and a culture that connects the two

07:00 – Cutting bureaucracy: HR leads by example, uses span of control to save €120 M and slim corporate functions

12:00 – Apple iOS-8 analogy & “operating-system overhead” — reduce internal friction before serving customers/employees

15:00 – Leadership formula: energy × direction = results; “import stress, export energy” to the organization

28:00 – Cautionary tale: Why HR must challenge bad growth assumptions

31:00 – Engagement surveys vs. Gallup Q12: frontline managers as the biggest performance lever

37:00 – Working with the CEO/executive team: pick a leader you can align with, set a few KPIs, repeat them for three years

44:00 – Wrap-up: boldness, simplicity, and treating people with dignity through tough change