IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE, YOU HAVE TO BE IN HR!
Stefaan Stroo joined ING in 2016 and is currently leading the HR Transformation program for a number of countries, designing and implementing the new HR operating model globally. Before joining ING, Stefaan was a project manager and a banker at BNP Paribas Fortis, after which he joined a consultant firm in project, portfolio & program management, where he led the HR department. His professional experience has allowed him to build up expertise in both HR as well as the business side, and to combine the two to create business value. At the Global HR Trends Summit Slovenia 2 on the 7th of May, he will present a case study on ING’s HR Transformation: A Journey Towards Business Value.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your professional journey, how did you decide to work in HR?
I was blessed that I got the opportunity to start my career in business with a traineeship which gave me the chance to explore different sides of the banking business. After working some years in the commercial side of the business and strategic project management, I felt that to make a real difference I had to turn to HR.
I believe that the business creates value, but the business is created by the right people in the right place, and that is where HR comes in. In the future, even more than today, it will be the HR function that delivers a competitive advantage to any business by attracting, retaining & developing the right people capabilities.
You are currently working in ING Group. What does a typical working day look like for you?
Together with my colleagues, we are building one global HR function for our organization. That means breaking through silos, bringing people together around a uniting vision while making sure that we keep on running our HR function in a value adding way.
So my day looks like a typical corporate day; defining our vision, explaining it, collecting feedback and fine-tuning it, and making sure it gets implemented in the 40+ countries where we are active.
At the Global HR Trends Summit in Ljubljana, you will be covering ING’s HR Transformation: A Journey Towards Business Value, can you give us a preview of what the audience can expect from your session?
ING is a multinational that has grown for a large part through M&A, this has led to a myriad of although effective, but very different HR practices throughout the organization. We are now in the midst of a transformation of streamlining all these different HR practices and organizations under one umbrella. What I would like to share with the audience are the lessons learned so far. We believe they could be valuable to anyone who is planning to take on a transformation program, be it in HR or elsewhere.
What are some of the projects that you have worked on & are most proud of?
I would have to say that that was the employability program we have built for the Belgian organization. Given the fact that the banking industry is changing rapidly, we need other capabilities in our organization than years ago, often there is even a reduction in the number of employees. In this environment, we have built an a la carte program where employees can grow their attractiveness as an employee, both for ING and for the outside world.
I am especially proud that we offer our employees the chance to take those actions that they think are most valuable for them because there is no one size fits all. We don’t force them to do anything, but we do offer them the necessary tools and resources to build their own employability. And we did so in a cost-effective way by leveraging on external vendors for part of the solutions and new solutions to bring these solutions to our employees.
What would be your advice on building a successful career in HR?
My first advice would be; understand the business you are working in and the challenges they are facing. As an HR professional, you need to come up with solutions that will help the business to realize it’s objectives.
And my second advice, but that goes for everyone in anywhere in any organization; never stop learning, reading and questioning your beliefs. HR is becoming more and more science and data-driven, it is important to stay on top. The solutions you offer your business need to be as effective as possible and therefore based on the latest research.
You are currently based in Amsterdam; how would you compare the working environment there with the rest of the world?
I am very lucky that ING asked me to join the Global HR organization in the Netherlands, while I am originally from the Belgian organization. It is difficult for me to compare with the “rest of the world”, but what I do like about the working environment in Amsterdam is the international character of things. I am lucky to have colleagues around me that come from different countries, and their different viewpoints enrich my view on the world, but it also makes me a better HR professional, since it forces me to sometimes challenge my own beliefs that are based on my own background.
You are presenting at the Global HR Trends Summit in Ljubljana, what are your expectations from the destination?
I am very pleased that I can visit Ljubljana, I haven’t been there yet, but it has been on my “to vist”-list for quite some time now. I have only read positive reviews on traveler sites and friends who have visited the city were really enthusiastic about the atmosphere. I do hope I can stay for another day so I can combine the intellectual stimulating conference with some sight-seeing. I am really looking forward to it.