CHRO of The Year Award

The nominees for CHRO of the Year 2026 are in

After a thorough selection process, the jury of former winners chose these three for their vision, resilience and ability to balance people and business interests with remarkable precision. The award recognizes HR leaders who make a lasting impact through social and business impact, inspiration and innovation.

The nominees are:
👉 Cristina Monteiro, Executive Vice President HR & Organization at ASML
👉 Sabine Van Hooijdonk-Verboom, CHRO at Royal BAM Group
👉 Dailah Nihot, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer at NN Group

The winner will be announced at 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗢 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 on 23 November at the Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht.

 

The CHRO of the Year Award celebrates outstanding HR leaders who make a strategic and lasting impact on their organizations and beyond. We recognize CHROs who demonstrate visionary leadership, drive innovation in people strategy, and contribute meaningfully to business success and society.

Jury 2026

The jury for the CHRO of the Year Award 2026 Thomas Mulder (CEO at Archipel Academy), Caroline Tervoort-Visser (Partner People & Culture Strategy at KPMG Netherlands), Poléanne Vluggen (Chief People and Culture Officer at Vebego Group) and Edyta Jakubek (Chief People Officer at ASM) is ready to review this year’s nominations.

All jury members have been awarded for the CHRO of the year title in their current of past CHRO roles. 

What criteria does the jury use?

The main criteria are: Social Impact, Business Impact, Inspiration, and Innovation.
In concrete terms, the jury is looking for HR leaders who:

  • Base their HR strategy on innovative methods, ideas, tools, and forms of collaboration;
  • Inspire their environment, organization, and external stakeholders through their approach;
  • Demonstrate measurable positive impact on organizational goals through their innovative and inspiring HR strategy.

In addition, eligible CHROs must:

  • Hold an independent and autonomous HR leadership position (CHRO, HR Director, or HR Executive) within an organization with at least 2,000 employees;
  • Be based in the Netherlands and have been in their current role for at least two years at the time of nomination.

➡️ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲: https://lnkd.in/erGFr8uF

CHRO of the Year Award 2026

Innovation, inspiration, and impact. These are key qualities that define the work of leading CHROs. The CHRO of the Year Award recognizes those who embody these qualities and celebrates their achievements. This recognition not only honors their work but also inspires other CHROs and emerging HR talent to take action. The winner will be announced during the plenary closing of CHRO Day 2025 on 23 November 2026.

Want to know more about the CHRO of the Year Award?
Discover everything about the selection process, past winners, and what makes this recognition so special.