Natascha van Boetzelaer: Insights from a seasoned talent expert

In the fast-paced world of digital transformation, Natascha van Boetzelaer shines as a prominent thought leader on all things related to digital talent and organisations.

As a seasoned expert based in the Amsterdam office of global leadership advisory firm, Egon Zehnder, she has been instrumental in guiding both disruptive start-ups and established companies through the intricacies of digital capabilities on a global scale.

With a diverse portfolio of clients, Natascha collaborates with a wide spectrum of talent, ranging from visionary leaders driving transformation in traditional enterprises to trailblazing entrepreneurs leading pure-play ventures. She also partners with domain experts in critical areas like product and technology, growth, artificial intelligence, and data science, enabling companies to stay ahead of the digital curve.

We speak to Natascha about the difference in leadership over the years, the benefit of hiring talent from outside your sector and much more.

Here's what we discussed:

• Could you give us a bit of a summary of your career to this point? (0:15)
• What was it about the entrepreneurial spirit that hooked you, especially in those formative years? (5:37)
• Was disruption something you actively sought out back then? (6:53)
• You mentioned spending a few years in Hong Kong after living in the Netherlands, was this quote daunting, especially with your young family, or was it just an incredibly exciting opportunity you couldn’t turn down? (8:35)
• Did you notice a big difference in leadership style between Hong Kong and the Netherlands? (10:56)
• What kind of differences have you noticed between those leaders that you started with in the early days to the ones you’re placing today? (13:22)
• We’ve spoken to people who believe that hiring someone that’s completely outside of their sector can give their company the edge. Is this something you’ve noticed? (18:07)
• There’s been a lot of talk about a talent shortage in the UK. Is this something you notice in other parts of the world too? (22:15)
• What kind of innovation are you seeing at the moment that really gets you excited and thinking this is going to be big in years to come? (24:40)
• A Goldman Sachs study reveals that 300 million jobs are going to be replaced by AI, but the Institute of Future of Work says 80% of the jobs that will be around in 10-15 years' time don’t exist yet. So from a bird’s eye view of this, as far as where we are heading, how do you view that, are you excited or a little more cautious? (26:34)
• As far as the placement of a person goes, would you prefer candidates to be a little bit more visible in their personal branding, or does it depend on the person? (28:09)
• What's the key improvement that you think some leaders need to really buck up their ideas and really focus on getting better? (31:37)
• The Good News Postcard: what is your favourite part of your job? (34:13)
• What makes a great business leader? (34:59)

Thanks to Amy from the Jill Dando News for bringing us The Good News Postcard this week. Get your dose of positive news by visiting The Good News Post, a website collated by hundreds of young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK. They've written real-life “news that’s good for you”, covering people, animals, stories to cheer people up, and tips to make lives better.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

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