When you can only influence — not instruct — everything depends on how well you listen, how flexibly you think, and how genuinely you rely on the people around you. The best outcomes I've been part of weren't ones I drove. They were ones where the team found their own way through, and I helped them see the path.
That's what I try to bring to every engagement.
Background
I've worked across technology, finance, aviation, and consumer industries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. My work has included major reorganizations, operating model redesigns, M&A integrations, and leadership effectiveness — delivering outcomes including €6.4M in HR function savings and a $30M improvement in contribution margin.
I hold an Executive MBA from IMD and certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Hogan Assessments, and Marshall Goldsmith's Stakeholder Centered Coaching.
Outside of work, I recharge by swimming in Lake Geneva, photographing street life, and exploring new melodies on the piano.
Most people call me Val.
I didn’t start in HR.
My career began in consulting — working with companies on operating models, process improvement, and organizational change across Asia and Europe. From there I moved into operational roles: scaling a start-up, launching an e-banking division, managing risk for a trillion dollar asset manager. Each of those experiences gave me something that most HR practitioners don't have — a grounded understanding of how business decisions translate into structure, people, and execution.
HR came later, and unexpectedly. A Head of HR asked me to join her team to bring business acumen into the function. It opened my eyes to a different kind of complexity — one I've been working in ever since.
What I've learned doing this work
Organizational change looks straightforward on paper. The harder part is getting people to actually move together — across functions, geographies, languages, and backgrounds, often without the authority to simply tell them what to do.