Anneline van Dijk and Joanne Berntsen on their new challenge at AllChiefs
Joanne Berntsen and Anneline van Dijk have both recently joined AllChiefs, a Dutch management consultancy firm. We sat down with the pair to find out more about their background, change of scenery, and drive to make a sustainable impact.
Joanne Berntsen joined AllChiefs from retailer Coolblue, where she was responsible for organisational development and HR operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Previously, she spent several years at strategy consultancy Bain & Company. Anneline van Dijk meanwhile brings over a decade of experience in human capital to the firm, including extensive expertise in talent assessment and development.
At AllChiefs, a 50-person consulting firm from Rotterdam, Berntsen is now a Lead Consultant, while Anneline serves as a Managing Consultant. Both are members of the Business Consulting & Transformation practice, which guides organisations along their journey of remaining competitive in an ever-changing future. Key offerings include organisational design, HR operating models, leadership, culture, employee experience, change management and program management.
Feeling at home
With a welcoming atmosphere, and rewarding work, AllChiefs has quickly proven to be an environment where Anneline feels at home. “I had already worked a lot on projects at GITP, but I missed close collaboration with colleagues and long-term processes in which you can really work together with clients,” she explains.
“I immediately got a good feeling about the people here, a close-knit group that really cares about each other. I noticed that everyone is genuinely appreciated for who they are.”
For Joanne, the move to AllChiefs was a welcome boomerang to the consulting world. Having gained industry experience with Coolblue, she was looking for somewhere to combine her practical knowhow with the strategic insight she previously accrued in strategy consulting.
“At Coolblue I learned how important a strong organisational culture is, but I missed the dynamics of consultancy. What makes AllChiefs different from other consultants is our approach. We work closely with clients and remain involved until the implementation. Because we work shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we know for sure that the change we have worked on will be permanent after we have completed the project.”
Strength in depth
Having come through their first months, Anneline and Joanne say they have found an excellent balance at AllChiefs, between substantive depth and the variety of working with different clients.
Anneline: “As an assessment psychologist, I have developed my antennae to accurately assess what people need. At AllChiefs, I can apply that experience in long-term projects and really work together with clients to implement sustainable behavioural changes.”
Her focus is currently on further professionalising an existing leadership program within AllChiefs. This program is “so highly valued” by the firm’s clients that AllChiefs is looking to expand its footprint. “We are noticing a growing awareness in many organizations that effective leadership is a crucial accelerator for improving performance, retaining talent, adopting new technologies, and ensuring a safe working environment,” she adds.
Joanne in turn works on “organisational designs and leadership trajectories, always with an eye for the human side of change. That makes our work truly meaningful.” She is currently busy with engagements around organisational culture and core values. Each and every one of those assignments “are really bringing about change in the organisation, and are well received by employees.”
Both new joiners value the people-centric approach AllChiefs brings to its transformation work. According to Joanne, the most important part of change is to “not only look at processes and structures, but also at the people who carry this change” – involving staff in the process, so that “the change not only works on paper, but also really sticks in practice.”
Anneline agrees, “change only works if you can get people on board and actually change behaviour. In my work, I have seen how difficult it is for people to change their behaviour consistently, which makes me extra motivated to guide clients in this.”
People first
Reflecting on their first months at AllChiefs, both professionals are enthusiastic about the close-knit culture they experience within the team.
“I felt welcome from the start,” says Joanne. “In my first week, we went to Maastricht with the entire team for a weekend, and that immediately created a nice atmosphere. Everyone was there for me and that made my transition very easy.”
Anneline similarly experiences the same positive atmosphere. In particular, it helps that new arrivals can “always turn to your colleagues for advice” – but also for “a good joke or a listening ear”. This balance between professionalism and personal attention ensures that staff soon feel at home – underlining the most important part of the firm’s collaborative culture.
Anneline concludes, “We all have our own expertise and style, but at AllChiefs it is ultimately about collaboration. That is what makes us strong and through which we are able to make a lasting impact on our customers.”