"Organizations do not transform. People do."

Born and raised in Limburg, Anneleen joined Accenture in 2014 where she is a Strategy & Consulting Manager within the Talent & Organization practice

I have fond memories of growing up in the countryside with my parents and two brothers. My father comes from a family of eight and lives next door to all his brothers and sisters in the same village. Our gardens were connected at the back, which made it easy to go and see all our cousins!  

Being in nature is still essential for me. Specifically, running in nature, the perfect way to clear my head after a busy day. And preferably somewhere in Sweden, in a forest, on the lookout for a moose!  

I originally wanted to be a flight attendant, influenced by one of my cousins, who worked in the tourism industry, who spoke Spanish fluently and moved abroad. Who doesn’t want to travel for work, right?  

It was either these words by Pippi Longstocking in the eponymous book by Astrid Lindgren or the appeal of student life that led me to study a mix of everything. I started with Linguistics and Literature (French & Italian) followed by a Master in Multilingual Professional Communication (adding a business angle), then a Master in Teaching (both my parents were dedicated and inspiring teachers) and finally, a Master in Human Resource Management, which is when I discovered my true passion! 

I chose Accenture because of the people. Those I met during job fairs were all very approachable and passionate about their work. I figured this must be an awesome company to work for, where you get a lot of opportunities from the start. I was not disappointed. I never imagined I would work with so many different people around the world and build a truly global network. Colleagues have become “frolleagues” and work has become a safe place where I can thrive. So, here I am, almost seven years later – spreading the same message to today’s talent: You will not be disappointed. 

How you relate to people is just as important as qualifications when working in a diverse environment like Accenture. You need to be able to bring different people with a variety of viewpoints to the table and listen to their different perspectives and experiences. This drives creativity and innovation. It helps us to solve complex problems and create better solutions for our clients. 

Change is the reason for Accenture’s existence; it’s what we do best. In my role, I lead teams that support organizations through change, be it in the context of setting up a global business services model, a post-merger integration or a business transformation – always with a focus on the people-aspect because they are the catalysts for successful change. It’s very important to empower people to take an active role in making changes and celebrate the small steps and wins during a change journey. 

Organizations do not transform. People do. It’s people who turn ideas into reality, they bring the transformation to life. I strongly believe in people’s capability to change and if we put them at the heart of the story, we can achieve great things.  

With the global pandemic, the Chief Human Resources Officer role has become one of the most vital in the C-suite. Organizations need to keep their employees safe, employed and supported. In fact, the entire C-suite is taking more responsibility for workers’ holistic well-being and actively seeking to earn their trust. Organizations that take better care of their people will flourish in the market of the future. I look forward to helping more companies make this shift. 

There’s plenty to feel hopeful about for the future. More and more organizations are now embedding sustainability into their overall purpose, defining green milestones and targets, making greener choices that drive meaningful change. The pandemic has also brought us a new perspective on conscious consumption and accelerated the “buy local” trend. I love talking about all of this with my boyfriend who is passionate about making the world a better place. His perspective on the societal and environmental challenges of the future has made me even more conscious of how we can all make a positive difference.