Host Hein Knaapen interviews Chantal Verbeek, former HR leader at ING, Scotiabank, and Intrum, on her global HR journey across financial services and collections, and the shared foundations of people strategy, purpose, and performance. Together, they explore the nuanced role of HR in driving business value—from strategic alignment and executive coaching to DEI, predictive analytics, and the evolving expectations of boards. Chantal offers pragmatic insights on embedding leadership behaviors, elevating people managers, and creating cultures of dignity and accountability. The conversation is candid, wide-ranging, and rooted in real-world experience—peppered with lessons from operating models gone wrong and AI tools that exceeded expectations.

Timestamps & Key Themes:

00:00 – Introduction - Chantal’s international HR career from ING to Scotiabank and Intrum; the value of cross-industry, cross-cultural leadership.

01:00 – Stakeholder alignment - Why aligning the CEO, board, and HR team is essential; embedding people strategy into the financial budget cycle.

03:00 – Board psychology & relevance - Navigating overinvolvement from non-executive directors and using data to guide value-adding decisions .

07:00 – HR-business integration - Elevating HR from support function to strategic driver; professionalizing through data and business fluency.

10:00 – Radical candor & psychological safety - Creating trusted C-suite relationships and managing public disagreements with grace and behind-the-scenes diplomacy .

12:00 – "Sexy" solutions vs. what actually works - Why over-engineered workforce plans fail; focus instead on performance-driving practices like executive coaching, team effectiveness, and leadership development .

15:00 – Managers as performance multipliers - The pivotal role of frontline leaders; designing practical training programs to ensure new managers are certified and equipped .

20:00 – Lessons from failed initiatives - From overbuilt operating models to Workday rollouts gone awry; the importance of prioritization and simplification.

24:00 – AI in HR - Examples of AI tools improving fairness, efficiency, and policy writing; balancing automation with human judgment .

28:00 – Culture and dignity - How values were embedded into behaviors, performance reviews, and leadership principles to create dignity at work .

31:00 – Global consistency vs. local nuance - Managing cultural differences and expectations across Europe and North America; advancing DEI efforts beyond symbolic gestures .

36:00 – HR’s future mandate - Progress made: seat at the executive table, data-driven decisions, and business integration. Opportunities ahead: holistic analytics, agile operations, and embedding judgment in leadership