Carlijn is a passionate innovator in learning and development with over 14 years of experience at the City of Amsterdam. Currently driving L&D innovation and conducting PhD research on psychological safety, leadership, and team learning, she combines academic rigor with real-world application. As former Head of Talent and Leadership Development, Carlijn designed impactful programs that supported leaders and talent across the organization. Her approach is centered on "just enough and just-in-time" learning, with a strong emphasis on performance support and executive coaching. A skilled change agent, she has led transformative initiatives, including a groundbreaking traineeship for former refugees. Carlijn’s work is deeply rooted in empathy, inclusion, and evidence-based practices—empowering people to grow, lead, and thrive.

As an experienced People Leader and HR professional, I specialize in partnering with international leaders to cultivate and enhance a global mindset. My expertise lies in collaborating with multicultural, multidisciplinary, and matrixed teams, bringing a wealth of knowledge from diverse industries and cultures. This extensive exposure has provided me with a deep understanding of the unique characteristics and needs of various organizations.
I adopt a strategic approach to align organizational objectives with leadership capabilities, fostering a strength-based, high-performing environment. Additionally, I am a certified trainer in Crucial Conversations and an advocate for a constructive feedback culture.

Working for Amsterdam means working for the most beautiful city in the world. Think of its rich history, the role Amsterdam plays internationally, and events such as Sail, Gay Pride and King’s Day. Of course everybody wants to visit Amsterdam, or work or live here. As you can probably imagine, working for Amsterdam is a challenge every day. How do we handle the growing bustle in the inner city? Or the high demand for new homes? Or obesity among young children? At the municipality of Amsterdam we work daily on challenging projects like these.

Westcon-Comstor is a global technology provider and specialist distributor, operating in more than 70 countries. It delivers business value and opportunity by connecting the world’s leading IT vendors with a channel of technology resellers, systems integrators and service providers. It combines industry insight, technical know-how and more than 30 years of distribution experience to deliver value and accelerate vendor and partner business success. It goes to market through two lines of business: Westcon and Comstor. Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 4,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide. Riot has been featured on numerous lists including Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For,” “25 Best Companies to Work in Technology,” “100 Best Workplaces for Millennials,” and “50 Best Workplaces for Flexibility.” Riot Games recruiters will never ask for money or request sensitive information, and they'll always reach out from an @riotgames.com email address. You can learn more about Riot’s interview process here: https://www.riotgames.com/en/work-with-us/interviewing-at-riot/interview-process

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and nutrition. We design our products and services to serve the most essential human needs of health and nutrition. At the same time, we strive to address some of the world’s biggest challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At Bayer, we’re committed to driving sustainable development and generate a positive impact with our businesses. Through the power of science, we’re pioneering new possibilities that advance life for all of us. That means reimagining how we care for ourselves and one another by empowering everyday health, improving approaches to patient care, and finding better ways to nourish our communities around the world.