Hein J.M. Knaapen is Managing Partner for Europe at CEO.works and a Supervisory Board member of Coca-Cola. With more than 35 years of experience in leadership and talent strategy, he has built a reputation as one of the most influential voices in connecting people decisions directly to business value.
Hein held senior roles at Unilever and KPN Telecom before serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at ING Bank from 2012 to 2019. At ING, he developed and executed the HR strategy for over 53,000 employees across 45 countries, reducing overall HR costs by 20% while significantly enhancing organizational performance and management capabilities.
Today, as Managing Partner at CEO.works, he works with top leadership teams of global companies to identify critical value hotspots and ensure the right people are in the right roles to accelerate impact. His approach distills complexity into clarity, asking essential questions: Who truly makes the difference? Where are the real value drivers? How can leaders make people decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions?
In addition, Hein has served on supervisory and advisory boards, including Coca Cola Enterprises NL, LTP Amsterdam, and initiatives such as Talent to the Top. He is also a respected author whose writings on organizational transformation, people analytics, and leadership are widely read and shared. Known for his sharp, clear, and liberating insights, Hein challenges conventional thinking while providing practical solutions.
Hein demonstrates how leaders can identify the 20% of talent priorities that drive 80% of business value, eliminating unnecessary initiatives and focusing only on what truly matters.
Drawing from extensive experience in global companies, Hein shows how transformation timelines can be shortened by 40–60% by aligning the right people with the right value drivers, replacing “transformation theatre” with focused execution.
From Unilever to ING, Hein has proven that leadership and culture are not abstract concepts but concrete drivers of business performance. His real world examples reveal how strategic clarity and human-centered approaches change the trajectory of organizations.
Hein J.M. Knaapen’s keynote at the Balkan Business Forum 2026 is a rare opportunity to learn from a leader who has shaped global executives for decades. His insights cut through the noise of endless initiatives and show leaders where value is truly created or lost.
For leaders who want to make smarter people decisions, accelerate transformation, and gain clarity on where their organization wins or fails, this is the session not to be missed.
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