After a long and successful association with Microsoft, Stijn Nauwelaerts is moving to NTT Data, taking on the role of chief people officer, with effect from November 2024.
Armed with a master’s degree in labour law and industrial relations, from the University of Liege, Nauwelaerts began his professional journey as legal counsel, Partena, in 1993. This role saw him working out of Brussels, Belgium for three years, advising employers on labour law and social security regulations.
From 1996 to 2001, he worked with The Bank of New York as vice president, human resources. For five years, he ran the HR team for the Brussels (850 employees) and Luxembourg (100 employees) offices before moving to Microsoft in 2001.
At Microsoft, Nauwelaerts started off as HR manager, Belgium and Luxembourg. Two years into this role, he was elevated to HR director, EMEA small and medium business.
The year 2005 saw him relocating to Munich, Germany, as regional director-human resources, central and eastern Europe, Microsoft. For five and a half years, he looked after HR for 18 subsidiaries servicing 24 countries in the region.
He was promoted to general manager, human resources, Microsoft International in April 2011. This role made him in charge of over 110 subsidiaries operating outside the US and Canada. Till 2016, he successfully drove the strategic people agenda, global talent management and key HR initiatives in developed and emerging markets across Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The next promotion put him in the post of general manager-HR, Microsoft global sales, marketing and operations, in September 2016. A little over a year and a half later, he was elevated yet again, to the post of corporate vice president, human resources, leading HR for Microsoft across all the company’s subsidiaries globally.
At NTT Data, Stijn Nauwelaerts is looking forward to helping “drive the talent and culture agenda and contribute to the aspiration to build a sustainable future with positive impact on the world.”