"I really became hooked on developing individuals and in developing organisations,” says Peter-Paul Adriaansen resolutely. He began his career at DSM in 1986, which is where his future in HR really took shape. He then moved to Dutch retailer De Bijenkorf, before joining Philip Morris in 1996. He has since progressed to HR Director at Philip Morris Germany & Austria, about which he adds, “A favourite quote that we live by here is: ‘We develop our people and let them develop our business."
We develop our people and let them develop our business.
Although a member of the company’s HR team for 17 years, Adriaansen shows no sign of losing that passion for developing people and businesses. Instead, he strongly believes that the keys to successful development are a willingness to leave your comfort zone and to always seek out new skills and experiences. In his own career path, he has embraced all kind of learning opportunities and moved to new positions every two or three years. Whenever possible he worked with and learned from people working in other departments.
“For example, when I began working here in Germany, I had to build up an understanding of how the sales department operates,” he remembers. “So I agreed that I would participate in the sales meetings, providing me a better understanding of how the overall business works.”
It is both an attitude and experience that Adriaansen frequently hopes to stimulate as an HR Director. “I always try to create cross-functional project teams,” he notes. “To develop business understanding, of course we provide internal and external training. But by being involved in cross-functional projects, you develop on the job by having new types of learning experiences."
He is keen to highlight that international experiences are also an important opportunity for career development. “If you have a high level of mobility, the world is literally at your feet,” he says enthusiastically. “Where I’ve learned the most, both professionally and individually, has been in international assignments. It moves you out of your comfort zone. And working alongside many different nationalities is a challenging and enriching experience.”
In the always-ongoing conversation between Adriaansen and the people around him, he continually reminds each employee that they are in the driving seat of their career. But as an HR Director, he is also striving to provide the best developmental opportunities. “I firmly believe that if you don’t develop your people then at some point you’ll encounter problems in the business,” he states. “It’s an investment in the future and directly linked to employee engagement”. What motivates people? Developmental opportunities are always high on that list.”
