Isabel a Dutch businesswoman who works as HR manager of organizational development Europe and emerging markets in an international company. She holds a PhD in her domain.
Let’s see what a successful woman with such a high position had to say when we asked her about sexism, how she deals with it, and her message to women on International Women’s Day.
Interview
| Hello Dr. Isabel! You run a very high managerial position at your job in a world that mostly believes that women can’t lead. What kind of sexism do you face at your job? |  |
 | Actually my company does quite well on gender equality, even in the top level management positions the gender split is quite even. However being in an company that has offices all over the world sexism does happen in certain cultures and countries. Especially in less developed countries you see more sexism problems occur. As HR we are involved when such a problem happens. When I first started working I got faced with a lot of sexism, I was ‘young and interesting’ people often thought I was an intern instead of the new manager. |
| How do you usually deal with hate speech and sexism? | |
| We have a program that focuses on diversity and inclusion in the broadest sense, from lgbtq+ to racism and equal pay. I myself have always been very adamant on shutting down hate speech and sexism. |
| As an HR manager you are required to make important decisions. Would you tell us what is the most important decision you’ve ever made at your job? | |
| That’s very difficult to choose from as all of my choices have an influence on a persons life. Most of all I follow my intuition and stay close to myself as a person. I think the most important thing I did was create a cost savings during the COVID period which resulted in 1500 people being able to keep their job instead of lose it due to COVID. |
| Finally, on International Women’s Day, what message would you like to send young girls around the world who would like to be like you one day? | |
| Work hard and don’t be afraid to grab opportunities. Speak your mind and always keep your head held high. |
