Following a careful and thorough selection process by an expert jury, three HR leaders have been nominated to succeed Poleanne Vluggen, who earned the title of CHRO of the Year 2024. She received the award in recognition of her visionary leadership and lasting impact on people and performance.

What sets this year’s finalists apart?
Vision, resilience, and the ability to balance people and business interests with remarkable precision.

The 2025 nominees are:

• Caroline van Nieuwkerk – Executive Director HR & Sustainability at Royal van Leeuwen
• Edyta Jakubek – Chief People Officer at ASM
• Jolanda Sappelli – Chief HR Officer at a.s.r. verzekeringen

Caroline van Nieuwkerk, Edyta Jakubek, Jolanda Sappelli

Jury 2025

The jury for the CHRO of the Year Award 2025 Tjahny Bercx (CHRO at LeasePlan), Thomas Mulder (CHRO at VodafoneZiggo), Caroline Tervoort-Visser (CHRO at KPMG Netherlands), and Poléanne Vluggen (CHRO Facility Services at Vebego Group) is ready to review this year’s nominations.

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.

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.