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A few words About Me

Passionate about pushing boundaries on the thinking and practice of organization designs.

company transformation
What Drives me

Helping Rewire Companies For Better Outcomes

As a transformation leader, I help companies rewire their operating model to achieve better outcomes. I deliberately use the word “rewire” because true transformation requires not just instilling new practices and ways of working, but also a fundamental rethink of a company’s structures, leadership beliefs and cultural norms.

I am passionate about making organizations more adaptive, effective, and meaningful places to work. My experience is grounded in academic research and leans on years of firsthand, in-the-trenches corporate transformation experience. For example, at Telenet, I led a multi-year journey that helped the company shift from a siloed organization into a network of nimble, innovative, and engaged teams.

Through keynote talks and advisory work, I aim to demystify (at least some!) the realities of transformation and offer practical insights on how leaders can steer and shape the change.

My management research studies and multi-year experience leading transformations make me uniquely positioned to bridge theory and practice. I bring to a every conversation a healthy mix of skepticism, realism, reflections and a dose of humor. You can count on me for a candid opinion, but also for bringing genuine reflection and learnings to the table.

Experience
Purpose
Board room
what DRIVES ME

Creating Impact Through Board Engagements

Through my engagements as a Board member, I seek to leverage my experiences and enlarge my impact in companies and society at large. More than ever, a diverse set of voices in decision making matter.

A key success factor for leaders today is the ability to bridge different perspectives. I am passionate about connecting the dots and believe my broad experience allows me to contribute to well-rounded decision-making and governance practices. I am committed to acting in the best interests of the company or association and its stakeholders, while being empathetic to the challenges leaders face.

While I have experience in the control and compliance dimensions of Board responsibilities, my greatest contribution lies in developing organizations, particularly by driving digital and operating model transformation.

AI, Sustainability and ESG, War for Talent, DE&I are all topics that are at the forefront of the agenda of (most) companies. To address these, companies require an operating model that is fit-for-purpose and often vastly different than what is in place today. I can bring the expertise to the table to challenge the status quo, spark critical conversations and help initiate and sustain the change ahead.

Lifelong Learning
Bridging Theory and Practice

During Covid I embarked on a Doctorate in Business Administration journey at Vlerick. I took this step because I am a firm believer in evidence-based management, and saw a pressing need to better bridge theory and practice, particularly in the area of self-managing organization models.

I have completed the first “learning” part of the program and am grateful for all the frameworks, theories, and methodologies that have enriched my professional toolkit. I see the benefits of this solid foundation every day in my work

The next phase is translating the learning into new knowledge through new research. Balancing this academic pursuit with the competing drive to have create real-world impact is a challenging combination. The destination is clear, even if the journey is progressing at a slower pace. And luckily with many delightful distractions along the way!  

I will keep you posted!  

Barbara Arnst
Let's connect

Get in touch

Interested to explore how we can collaborate or simply to exchange ideas? I'd love to hear from you! Send me a message, and I'll be in touch shortly.

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