Workforce growth of +67% at a single industrial site
Ahlstrom · MalmedyOlivier Debefve
HR Director · Senior HR ManagerOver 25 years of experience
HR leadership, grounded in operations.Verviers · Belgium
Connecting people, operations and performance.
Hands-on leadership · Transformation · Industrial relationsDual HR–Finance background
Senior HR leadership responsibilities in unionised industrial environments.
I usually reply within one business day.
Immediately available for a new senior HR leadership role
Liège Province · eastern Belgium · northern Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Results
A track record grounded in operational reality
No production stoppages linked to industrial relations
Ahlstrom · MalmedyAccountable for revenue recognition and closing
Altran · Belgium & Luxembourg · reported directly to the CEOTransition from 3 teams to a 5-team, 24/7 continuous-shift operation
Ahlstrom · MalmedyAgainst a target of 35
Ahlstrom · MalmedyPeople personally recruited: executives, engineers, managers, professional staff and shop-floor workers
Across my careerImpact
Situations where I have created value
Industry · Transformation
Ahlstrom · Malmedy
2019–2025
> 70 %of the final workforce personally recruited
Supporting growth, industrial diversification and cultural change
Sustained growth without separating operational performance from the quality of employee relations.
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As a partner to the Plant Manager and leadership team, I supported a major site transformation combining workforce growth, changes to the operating model and a progressive move from three to five teams.
This evolution was built through a strong presence on the shop floor and regular labour dialogue, while strengthening recruitment, onboarding, engagement and absence management.
Alongside my role as HR Manager of the Malmedy industrial site, I held HR responsibility for the Group’s Dutch entity based in Amsterdam, which grew from 1 to 15 employees. The entity included members of the Group Executive Committee, notably the Group CEO and Group CHRO.
Governance · Finance
Centre Spatial de Liège
2016–2017
~100People
14Team members
~€19mAnnual revenue
Connecting people, governance and business performance
An experience that taught me to consider every HR decision through the full range of its human, operational and financial consequences.
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As a direct partner to the CEO, I led HR, finance, administration and infrastructure, with a multidisciplinary team of 14 people organised across two management levels and a high degree of autonomy in preparing and implementing executive decisions. The scope covered close to 60 projects.
This responsibility also involved high-impact financial and governance matters, including favourable outcomes in two disputes involving several million euros.
Growth · International
Altran · Belgium, France & Luxembourg
1998–2015
650Consultants
150+Recruitments
Structuring operations in an international growth environment
An experience that built my dual perspective on organisational issues: human and economic.
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From 1998 to 2015, a continuous career within the same group, with progressively broader responsibilities in recruitment, HR and business administration across Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
My scope progressively expanded from recruitment and team leadership to operations and administrative management of the business, with direct reporting to the CEO. I also supported the transfer of sales administration to Kraków.
During my final five years at Altran, I also held HR and administrative responsibilities for the Luxembourg subsidiary, working on-site two days per week. I supported the growth of this entity from 20 to more than 100 engineers.
A practical approach
Decide with facts. Act close to the ground.
As part of leadership teams, I work across industrial, technology-driven and service environments in Belgium and internationally. I focus on issues that directly affect the organisation and its ability to execute: workforce growth, organisational change, industrial relations, transformation and reliable HR operations.
01
Managers with time to manage.
02
HR decisions that work on the ground.
03
An organisation that enables performance.
04
People issues addressed before they become business problems.
Cross-functional perspectives
What they say
Perspectives from executives, managers, colleagues and employee representatives on how I work.
Social dialogue · Collective perspective
His collaborative approach, respect for HR processes and ability to build an atmosphere of trust with employee representatives made a significant contribution to the team’s growth and cohesion.
Employee representatives at Ahlstrom Malmedy
Transformation · Change leadership · Shop-floor proximity
Cédric Djeuteu
Plant Manager, Ahlstrom Malmedy
Between 2020 and 2024, our site underwent a major transformation with the development of a new filter-media production activity, backed by an investment of over €12 million. During this period of change, Olivier stood out for his proximity to shop-floor operations, his availability and his ability to listen to employees and trade unions. His commitment to the teams helped support change in a constructive atmosphere and preserve calm industrial relations.
Leadership team · Autonomy · Sensitive HR cases
Christelle Bertrand
CEO of Centre Spatial de Liège during our collaboration
I particularly appreciated his autonomy, commitment and the way he fully embraced his role on the management team, always seeking to contribute to the team’s best interests. Olivier is also someone you can rely on in sensitive situations. I valued his ability to handle difficult HR matters with sound judgement, confidence and professionalism.
Business partnering · International · Business orientation
Rita Aalto-Saari
VP HR, Ahlstrom during our collaboration
As HR Manager for Belgium & the Netherlands, he consistently supported senior HR stakeholders, navigated complex situations with confidence, and found practical, business-oriented solutions. What stood out most was his willingness to contribute beyond his immediate scope and his reliability as an HR partner.
People development · Trust · Support
Virginie Raskin
Production Supervisor, Ahlstrom Malmedy
He knows how to support people who want to grow, explaining things clearly and thoroughly while always bringing a certain lightness that makes conversations much more natural.
HR Expertise
HR priorities I can take ownership of within a leadership team
Build constructive industrial relations
I prepare negotiations with employee representatives, clarify the scope for negotiation and address sensitive situations without losing sight of business continuity.
Align organisation with business needs
When the business changes, I build workforce, organisation and working-time scenarios with managers, then check that they can actually work on the ground.
Support leaders through difficult people decisions
I help leadership teams establish the facts and assess the risks before deciding on sensitive situations. The choice has to work for the business, comply with the law and remain fair to people.
Connect HR decisions, risk and business performance
I quantify the consequences of HR decisions and connect them to performance: payroll, absenteeism, turnover, structural costs and execution capacity.
Make HR operations reliable
I make sure payroll, personnel administration, labour compliance and HR data are reliable. A credible HR function starts with solid fundamentals.
Attract, develop and retain critical skills
I anticipate needs, structure recruitment and onboarding, then support managers in developing skills and reducing avoidable turnover.
Career at a glance
More than 25 years at the heart of organisations
2026Mondelēz International · Namur plant · Human Resources Manager
2019–2025Ahlstrom · HR Manager Belgium & Netherlands
2017–2018Groupe Jean Gotta · Group HR Manager Belgium & Luxembourg
2016–2017Centre Spatial de Liège · HR, Administration & Finance Director
1998–2015Altran · HR, recruitment & business administration · BE/FR/LU
Languages, tools & standards
- Languages
- French: native · English: fluent · Dutch: basic professional proficiency
- HRIS environments & tools
- SAP SuccessFactors · Workday · Protime · MS Dynamics NAV · HR reporting & workforce analytics
- Standards & compliance
- ISO 9001 · ISO 14001 · ISO 45001 · EN 9100
Next role
What I’m looking for
- Role
- HR Director · Plant HR Manager · Senior HR Manager · Senior HR Business Partner
- Scope
- Broad HR scope, with autonomy and close partnership with leadership; management team membership preferred.
- Environment
- An organisation where HR stays close to operations, with transformation and industrial-relations challenges
- Location
- Liège Province and neighbouring areas · eastern Belgium · northern Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- Terms
- A permanent role is the priority, with openness to interim management or a fixed-term role where the context warrants it
- Availability
- Immediately available
Contact
Discuss a senior HR opportunity
If you are looking for an HR Director who combines operational proximity, industrial relations, transformation and reliable HR operations, this is where my experience adds the most value.
Based in Verviers, I work best in organisations where HR stays close to operations, delivers reliably and adds value to leadership decisions.
I usually reply within one business day. You can also write directly to olivier@debefve.be.