Wendy van Ierschot
Wendy van Ierschot is an entrepreneur, tech investor, bestselling author and founder of VIE People, a People & Culture consultancy specializing in in fast-growing companies. She presents the well-known Dutch podcast De Werkprofessor, wrote the book Scale-ups & Downs and appears in many different international top HR expert lists, including the top 100 HR influencers (worldwide).
Starting a company is a big step, scaling a company is a real challenge. Only 0.7% of companies in the Netherlands have more than 50 employees and more than 5 million turnover annually. Worldwide these figures are in the same range. Scaling up is difficult and requires a different management style in every phase.
In her story, Wendy discusses the different growth phases of a company and which leadership style suits each phase. The leadership style that made the company successful in the beginning usually gets in the way when scaling up. A vibrant scale-up culture is full of seemingly contradictory behavior, as for example you need to experiment as well as be disciplined. She also discusses HR priorities, which differ per growth phase and do not necessarily depend on what employees ask.
Wendy has received several awards and honorable awards, including ‘Woman of the Year Award 2014 (USA), ‘FD Gazelle 2015’ and is listed as ‘the Next Woman 2017 & 2018’ (award for the most influential and successful business women in the Netherlands) . Wendy also holds various board positions.
Her personal mission is to ensure that all people have meaningful jobs, work towards inspiring personal goals and continue to develop themselves every day.
Her speaking topics include:
Scaling Your Organization
As your organization grows from 1 to 100 employees, it goes through four distinct stages of growth. Each stage requires different leadership and strategies—especially when it comes to people and culture. What works well with 10 employees can become counterproductive at 60, even if you’re aiming for the same goals. In this keynote, tailored for founders, CEOs, investors, and leaders in fast-growing organizations, Wendy offers a structured approach to scaling like a marathon runner: with focus, discipline, and a strong awareness of culture. She outlines the leadership style needed for each stage, how to balance values like creativity with the necessity of discipline, and how to build a solid people and culture foundation that evolves alongside your organization.
AI and Technology Adoption from a Leadership Perspective
In today’s era of rapid technological change, nearly every organization talks about adopting new technologies—but few manage to do so effectively. This keynote explores the gap between intention and action when it comes to embracing technology, and what it takes to bridge that gap. The focus is especially on the successful integration of AI, where collaboration between AI agents, technology, and human employees is key—along with the necessary upskilling of the workforce. Leaders must implement actionable strategies, including push mechanisms (mandated adoption) and pull mechanisms (incentivized engagement), to meaningfully embed technology and build true organizational buy-in.
Speaking at TNW2019: