Patricia Snel (CPO): staying open and curious can lead to remarkable outcomes

Patricia

When Patricia Snel stepped into her new role, she was no stranger to the company. After spending her early career days in consultancy, she joined our company 13 years ago; bringing a unique cultural blend to the team. Growing up in Twente, among dairy farmers, the similar open and friendly culture at FrieslandCampina made her feel right at home. On the other side her Indonesian roots, which not only shaped her love for food (especially Indonesian rice tables) but also influenced what she values in work; doing things together – on a foundation of trust, transparency, and collaboration, building on each other’s strengths.

My passion for Human Resources has always been rooted in the belief that our people are our most valuable asset.

Times of transformation

When Patricia joined, Friesland Foods and Campina had just merged, and two companies needed to be brought together. A transformation like the one we are in now. “Change excites me, I love finding ways to make things better and I am really excited about where our company is right now. We have a fantastic purpose that is deeply connected to society. We are in the middle of a journey that will bring this company towards a brighter future and have a lasting positive impact on the way. There are many opportunities ahead for us as an organisation and as HR function we have a crucial role to play in this change.”

Growth mindset

13 years ago, Patricia's journey started with an assignment in Talent Management; to redefine leadership and talent development, focusing on nurturing future leaders. At that time, there was little in place in this field, so we created development programs that were centered around empowering individuals and promoting growth mindset. And this mindset remains, as we are building an adaptable and agile organisation that prioritizes people and embraces a culture of learning. Key to this, is that we need to continuously identify and develop new skills.

Patricia

The power of data

One of the skills Patricia has mastered over recent years is recognizing the power of data in guiding our decisions in HR and across the business; “It is like having a GPS for our roles. While data is not our natural focus in HR, it offers valuable insights. Now, we are prioritizing tracking of HR core processes and making the investments where needed. We shift our approach from HR-centric to business aligned thinking, engaging in discussions about creating a business dashboard that reflects business needs and integrating it into our people strategy.”

Staying open and curious

For talent starting their career at FrieslandCampina, Patricia advises: “Stay open-minded. Don’t be too quick in your judgements and be flexible in your journey. There is a world of opportunities you may not directly see, but staying open and curious can lead to remarkable outcomes.” Patricia believes that very few people follow a pre-determined path but shape their journey along the way. And it is shown in her own career, where she has worked and grew in different sides of the business, from B2B to B2C to Corporate. And that is a key part of our people promise; we value talent, nourish growth and we’re committed to creating a workplace culture that values diversity, inclusivity, and well-being. “I believe that a positive work environment leads to happier employees and better business results. I am dedicated to making that a reality for all of us.”