Stefan Op de Woerd (1981) began his career as a marine and later studied philosophy at Utrecht University. At his first employer, he noticed that conversations between managers and employees were often top-down, while trust tends to foster greater ownership. This insight inspired him and his then-director, Jochem Aubel, to found their own company, Dialog, in 2012. The company grew into a successful scale-up focused on employee and conversation development. In 2022, Dialog was acquired by HR software company Youforce, with Op de Woerd continuing in his role as director. In September 2024, he transitioned into a leadership role at Youforce itself, where he now serves as Managing Director.