Culture & Business Transformation11 November 2025

The Interplay Between HR and the Chief of Staff: Rethinking Influence and Organisational Design

An HR Leaders Forum in Amsterdam

Hosted by

As organisations adapt to shifting business models, advancing technology, and new ways of working, HR continues to redefine its role as both a strategic enabler and a cultural steward. At our ChapmanCG HR Leaders Forum in Amsterdam, hosted by TomTom, the discussion focused on how HR functions are evolving to align business priorities with human outcomes, and how new roles, such as the Chief of Staff, are influencing that balance.

From TomTom’s global HR transformation to the emergence of the Chief of Staff as a strategic partner, we explored what it truly means to create a fit-for-purpose organisation where strategy, structure, and culture are in sync.

Transformation at TomTom: From Fragmentation to Focus

A highlight of the session came from our hosts, TomTom. They are still a founder-led organisation and are undergoing a significant HR transformation journey. Yet only a few years ago, HR at TomTom operated in silos, 90 professionals spread across multiple countries, often disconnected from the business and from each other.

Today, that picture looks very different. Through a deliberate shift in mindset and structure, TomTom has evolved:

From silos to a globally consistent people strategy
From back-office functions to strategic, problem-solving teams
From 90 to 70 HR professionals, but with sharper focus and clearer impact

A newly created People Products Team exemplifies this transformation. This new team tackles business-critical challenges such as engineering productivity and embedding the customer firmly at the centre of the people strategy.

This evolution demonstrates how HR can transform itself from a transactional support function into a core enabler of performance and innovation.

Redefining the CPO’s Value: Advisor, Architect, and Culture Keeper

As organisations evolve, so too does the role of the Chief People Officer. The conversation explored where the CPO delivers the most value today, and how that value continues to expand:

Advisor to the CEO – ensuring people strategy is inseparable from business strategy.
Future-proofing – recognising that what works today may not serve tomorrow’s challenges.
Balancing cost and culture – delivering ROI on employee investment while maintaining identity.
Shifting dynamics – evolving from a “parent–child” relationship with business leaders to true partnership.
Culture as the anchor – difficult to codify, yet essential to attraction, engagement, and retention.

At TomTom, the team has intentionally anchored culture through written leadership principles, while recognising the diversity of working styles and regional nuances that shape how those principles come to life day to day.

The Chief of Staff: A Strategic Partner or a Cultural Challenger?

The Chief of Staff role is gaining prominence across modern organisations, bridging strategy and execution while helping leaders navigate complexity. Organisations that already have the role describe it as a connective force, ensuring initiatives move from plan to practice and aligning closely with both the COO and HR leadership.

Yet the discussion revealed an ongoing debate: Is the Chief of Staff simply a “glorified project manager”? Or are they beginning to encroach on the CHRO’s remit, shaping organisational strategy and people priorities?

Often drawn from consulting or analytical backgrounds, Chiefs of Staff bring strategic clarity and influence. However, HR leaders agreed that deep organisational and cultural insight still resides within HR. The opportunity lies not in competition between these roles, but in collaboration, aligning HR’s human lens with the Chief of Staff’s operational and strategic rigour to build fit-for-purpose organisations that can execute with agility and purpose.

Key Takeaways

The discussion made one thing clear: HR and the Chief of Staff are now more interlinked than ever. Both roles are instrumental in connecting business ambition with organisational reality. As companies become more agile and data-driven, HR’s evolution must continue at the same pace — building influence not through hierarchy, but through clarity, capability, and collaboration.

Keywords that resonated throughout the discussion included: