Top 20 Famous CHROs in Europe [2026]

Europe is home to many of the world’s most influential chief human resources officers, especially within globally recognized organizations in energy, banking, luxury, healthcare, telecommunications, consumer goods, and technology. These leaders do far more than oversee hiring, compensation, or compliance. They shape workforce strategy, leadership development, organizational culture, digital transformation, inclusion, and long-term business resilience. In multinational companies operating across dozens of countries, the CHRO has become a central force in business growth, helping organizations build stronger leadership pipelines, manage change more effectively, and stay competitive in fast-moving global markets. That shift has elevated the role well beyond traditional human resources, making today’s most prominent CHROs some of the most strategically important executives in modern business.

As companies across Europe continue to navigate economic uncertainty, technological disruption, evolving workforce expectations, and growing pressure around diversity and sustainability, the CHRO’s influence is only becoming stronger. In this compilation, Digitaldefynd highlights some of the most notable CHROs serving at major Europe-headquartered organizations and leading people strategy at a global level.

 

Top 20 Famous CHROs in Europe [2026]

Rank	Name (Nationality)	Role at Organization	Highest Qualification	Major Impact
1	Kerry Dryburgh (UK)	Group Chief HR & Communications Officer, BP	MBA, Henley Business School (UK)	Leads BP’s global People & Culture strategy across 60+ countries, driving workforce transformation and inclusion.
2	Xavier Chéreau (NL)	Group Chief HR Officer, Stellantis	M.Sc. Human Resources, Sciences Po (Paris) (2008)	Orchestrated the integration of PSA and FCA HR functions, aligning talent and leadership development in the world’s 4th-largest auto group.
3	Heidi Sichien (BE/NL)	Chief People Officer, Philips	M.Sc. Business Engineering, University of Antwerp (2003)	Unified Philips’ HR operations, leading major acquisitions and cultural change initiatives. Emphasized talent pipelines and inclusivity to support business growth.
4	Darleen Caron (DE)	CHRO, Siemens Healthineers	BBA, Université du Québec à Montréal (1995)	Spearheaded global HR transformations to support major M&As and restructuring at Siemens Healthineers, building agility in a high-growth med-tech company.
5	Maud Alvarez-Pereyre (FR)	Group CHRO, LVMH	Graduate, Sciences Po Paris (2024)	Led global HR and transformation at LVMH, reshaping organizational culture in this €100B luxury conglomerate. Instrumental in shifting to new operating models and strengthening leadership pipelines.
6	Charlotte Levert (SE)	Chief People Officer, Ericsson	B.A. Business Management & HR (1998)	Oversees HR for 100,000+ employees, guiding Ericsson’s people strategy through 5G expansion. Brings deep change management and international HR experience from within Ericsson and telecom.
7	Alejandra Piñol (ES)	Chief People Officer, Ingka Group (IKEA)	M.A. Humanities (cum laude), Univ. of Amsterdam (2006)	Heads HR for IKEA’s global parent (365,000+ employees), driving large-scale cultural transformation. Advanced talent management, succession planning and diversity across the retail group.
8	Rob Kowalski (CH)	P&O Officer, Novartis	Pharm.D., University of Wisconsin (1994)	Shapes Novartis’s People & Organization globally; implemented new operating model aligning culture with innovation. Credited with diversity progress and modern talent initiatives in this €50B pharma leader.
9	Kerry Dryburgh (UK)	Group Chief HR & Communications Officer, BP	MBA, Henley Business School (2007)	Leads BP’s people strategy, focusing on skills for energy transition. Champions social mobility and inclusive leadership across BP’s 60+ country footprint.
10	Xavier Chéreau (NL)	Group Chief HR Officer, Stellantis	M.Sc. Human Resources, Sciences Po (Paris) (2008)	Orchestrated the post-merger HR integration of Fiat Chrysler and PSA, building a unified culture and global leadership development program.
11	Carmen-Maja Rex (DE)	CHRO, Airbus	M.Sc. Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Ruhr Univ. Bochum) (2002)	Modernised Airbus’s HR by digitizing processes across 50+ countries. Pioneered sustainability-focused leadership development at the aircraft maker.
12	Maud Alvarez-Pereyre (FR)	Group CHRO, LVMH	Graduate, Sciences Po Paris (2024)	Drove HR transformation at LVMH, ensuring talent agility amid rapid brand expansion. Her work advanced leadership culture and organizational agility in luxury.
13	Darleen Caron (DE)	CHRO, Siemens Healthineers	BBA, U. of Quebec in Montreal (1995)	Transformed global HR systems to support Siemens Healthineers’ growth, particularly in integrating acquisition targets and reshaping performance culture.
14	Alejandra Piñol (ES)	CPO, Ingka Group (IKEA)	M.A. Humanities, Univ. of Amsterdam (2006)	Structured IKEA’s people strategy, focusing on leadership development and innovative talent programs. Credited with strengthening diversity and values-driven hiring globally.
15	Sofia Merlo (FR)	Global Head of HR, BNP Paribas	Graduate, HEC Paris (1985)	Established BNP Paribas’s diversity and inclusion policies. As Global HR head, she led talent strategies across 180,000 employees, bolstering leadership pipelines post-2008 crisis.
16	Birgit Bohle (DE)	CHRO, Deutsche Telekom	Economics (WHU, ESC Nice, Univ. Texas) (1984)	Drove DT’s digital HR initiatives (building on her Deutsche Bahn successes). Implemented modern performance and skills frameworks for Europe’s largest telco.
17	Mairéad Nayager (IE)	Chief People Officer, Unilever	Postgrad Business (Trinity College Dublin, Smurfit) (1996)	Spearheading Unilever’s global HR agenda since 2024. Previously scaled talent organization at Haleon and Diageo; focuses on culture change and inclusive leadership in CPG.
18	Rob Kowalski (CH/US)	P&O Officer, Novartis	Pharm.D., Univ. of Wisconsin (1994)	Leads Novartis people strategy; aligned 100+ country workforce with digital and R&D breakthroughs. Advocates pay equity and cross-functional skills development.
19	Anne Lebel (FR)	CHRO, Capgemini	Institut d’Études Politiques Strasbourg, IAE Paris (1985)	Guided HR integration of Altran acquisition, creating a unified talent model for 350k employees. Known for embedding agile mindsets and leadership mobility in this €18B tech services firm.
20	Aileen Taylor (UK)	Group Chief People & Governance Officer, HSBC	Law degree (qualified UK lawyer)	Heads HR and governance for ~210,000 HSBC staff. Drawn from RBS leadership, she overhauled workforce planning and compliance, ensuring regulatory alignment in 63 countries.

 

Related: Fascinating Facts & Statistics about CHROs

 

1) Kerry Dryburgh — EVP, People, Culture & Communications and Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer, BP (July 2020–Present)

Kerry Dryburgh has led BP’s people, culture, and communications agenda since July 2020. Her remit covers talent, reward, diversity and inclusion, health and well-being, workplace strategy, social performance, and organizational transformation, placing her at the center of BP’s workforce evolution during the energy transition. She joined BP in 2010 after building senior HR leadership experience across industrial, telecom, and insurance businesses in Europe and Asia. Dryburgh began her career through an apprenticeship route, which gives her leadership style a grounded and practical edge. She later earned an MBA from Henley Business School and has become one of the most influential HR voices in Europe’s energy sector, combining business discipline with a strong focus on culture, performance, and long-term capability building.

 

2) Xavier Chéreau — Senior Executive for Human Resources, Sustainability, and IT, Stellantis (January 2021–Present)

Xavier Chéreau has been part of the Stellantis leadership team since the company was formed in January 2021. He built his entire career in human resources, starting at Groupe PSA in 1994 and progressing through roles spanning manufacturing, R&D, labor relations, mobility, and corporate HR. That breadth gives him a rare command of both plant-level realities and group-wide transformation. At Stellantis, he has played a major role in aligning people strategy across a newly merged global auto group while also carrying responsibility for sustainability and IT. His leadership has helped shape a more unified culture across a highly complex multinational organization. Chéreau holds a bachelor’s degree in economic management and a master’s degree in human resources from Sciences Po Paris.

 

3) Heidi Sichien — Chief People Officer, Philips (August 2023–Present)

Heidi Sichien became Chief People Officer of Philips in August 2023 after nearly two decades of steady progression inside the company. Since joining Philips in 2006, she has held HR leadership roles across multiple businesses and regions, later taking group-wide HR responsibility and then leading the International Region before moving into the top people role. She brings deep knowledge of Philips’ operations, culture, and talent needs, along with hands-on experience in transformation, acquisition integration, and leadership pipeline development. Her people strategy centers on building an inclusive, high-performing workforce that supports business recovery, innovation, and growth. She holds a master’s degree in business engineering from the University of Antwerp. During her leadership period, Philips has also continued to receive high-profile employer recognition, reinforcing the strength of its employee value proposition.

 

4) Darleen Caron — Chief Human Resources Officer, Siemens Healthineers (February 2021–Present; Labor Director since April 2024)

Darleen Caron has led human resources at Siemens Healthineers since February 2021 and has also served as Labor Director since April 2024. She arrived with a strong record in guiding large, international organizations through growth, restructuring, and integration. Before joining Siemens Healthineers, she was Executive Vice President and CHRO at LyondellBasell and previously held senior global HR roles at SNC-Lavalin, along with leadership experience at Dow and Alcan. Her background spans industrial, engineering, and multinational service environments, which makes her especially effective in complex transformation settings. At Siemens Healthineers, she has focused on building leadership depth, strengthening future talent pipelines, and aligning culture with the demands of a fast-scaling med-tech business. Caron holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Quebec in Montreal.

 

5) Maud Alvarez-Pereyre — Group Chief Human Resources Officer, LVMH (December 2024–Present)

Maud Alvarez-Pereyre’s rise at LVMH reflects a long and carefully built career within the luxury group. She joined LVMH in London in 2004 as Human Resources Manager for Perfumes & Cosmetics and later held a series of senior HR roles at Moët Hennessy. After expanding her experience outside the group, she returned to lead major people initiatives inside LVMH’s beauty operations, where she helped drive a new organizational model and culture. She was appointed Chief People and Transformation Officer in 2023 and became Group Chief Human Resources Officer in December 2024. In her current role, she is shaping leadership development, organizational agility, and capability building across one of the world’s most influential luxury groups. Alvarez-Pereyre is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and combines deep internal knowledge with a strong transformation mindset.

 

Related: CHRO’s Role in Diversity

 

6) Charlotte Levert — Chief People Officer, Ericsson (February 10, 2025–Present)

Charlotte Levert became Chief People Officer of Ericsson on February 10, 2025, after several years in senior HR leadership roles across the group. She joined Ericsson in 2019 and went on to lead people functions in major business areas, including Managed Services and Cloud Software and Services, where she supported a workforce of more than 25,000 employees. Before Ericsson, she held senior HR roles at Tieto and GE Healthcare, giving her experience across both technology and industrial environments. At Ericsson, she is responsible for people strategy, leadership culture, and organizational effectiveness at a time when telecom talent, digital capability, and business agility are central to growth. Levert holds a bachelor’s degree in management with human resources and business management from Royal Holloway, University of London.

 

7) Alejandra Piñol — Global People & Culture Manager and CHRO, Ingka Group

Alejandra Piñol leads people and culture for Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, bringing a genuinely international retail perspective to the role. She began her IKEA journey in Spain in 2011 and has since held senior people leadership roles across China, global talent, IKEA Retail, and the deputy group CHRO position. Her career inside IKEA has centered on leadership development, succession planning, recruitment, learning, and large-scale culture building across a broad frontline workforce. Piñol combines strong operational understanding with a values-led leadership style that fits IKEA’s people model. Her work is closely tied to inclusion, gender balance, equal pay, and the development of future-ready leaders across the organization. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Barcelona, a cum laude master’s degree in humanities from the University of Amsterdam, and postgraduate business qualifications from IESE Business School.

 

8) Rob Kowalski — Chief People & Organization Officer, Novartis (September 2021–Present)

Rob Kowalski took over as Chief People & Organization Officer at Novartis in September 2021 after a distinguished career in drug development and regulatory leadership. Unlike many CHROs, he came into the role from a scientific and innovation background, having led global regulatory affairs and held senior responsibilities across Novartis drug development. That career path gives him an especially strong understanding of talent, capability, and performance inside a research-driven business. Since moving into the people function, he has helped implement a new structure and operating model designed to support Novartis’ next phase of innovation and growth as a focused medicines company. He has spent more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry and has helped lead teams involved in the development and approval of dozens of medicines. Kowalski holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

9) Carmen-Maja Rex — Chief Human Resources Officer, Airbus (April 1, 2025–Present)

Carmen-Maja Rex became Chief Human Resources Officer of Airbus on April 1, 2025, stepping into one of Europe’s most important industrial people leadership roles. Her career spans consulting, international development, and major corporate transformation. She started at Accenture, then moved into HR roles with the United Nations and UNICEF, including assignments in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Timor-Leste. She later joined Siemens, where she held senior people and transformation positions before becoming HR Group Director at Heidelberg Materials in 2020. There, she led people transformation, talent management, global health and safety, and the digitization of HR processes across more than 50 countries. At Airbus, she brings a global, cross-sector perspective to leadership development, workforce capability, and long-term organizational change. Rex holds a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Ruhr University Bochum and a certificate in human resources management from Cornell.

 

10) Sofia Merlo — Head of Human Resources, BNP Paribas (November 2, 2020–Present)

Sofia Merlo has built her entire career at BNP Paribas, which gives her unusual depth as a people leader inside one of Europe’s largest banking groups. She began in 1985 in corporate client roles, later managing the bank’s business center in southwest France before moving into HR in 2000. In 2004, she became Group Head of Career Management and launched the bank’s diversity policy, helping shape BNP Paribas’ long-term talent and inclusion agenda. She later broadened her business leadership experience in private banking and wealth management before returning to HR in 2020 as Head of Human Resources and a member of the executive committee. That combination of operating and people experience gives her strong credibility across the organization. Merlo graduated from HEC Paris in 1985 and remains one of the most established HR leaders in European banking.

 

Related: How to Become a CHRO?

 

11) Birgit Bohle — Board Member for Human Resources and Legal Affairs, Labor Director, Deutsche Telekom (January 1, 2019–Present)

Birgit Bohle has led Deutsche Telekom’s HR function since January 2019 and added legal affairs to her board responsibilities in January 2020. Her background is unusually commercial for a senior HR leader. After beginning her career with an apprenticeship at BASF, she studied economics at WHU, ESC Nice, and the University of Texas at Austin, then worked at Bertelsmann and McKinsey before spending more than a decade at Deutsche Bahn. At Deutsche Bahn, she led major passenger and sales businesses, including DB Fernverkehr and DB Vertrieb, and built a reputation for combining growth, operational discipline, and customer focus. She brought that same business-minded perspective to Deutsche Telekom, where her remit spans workforce strategy, labor leadership, and legal oversight across one of Europe’s largest telecom groups.

 

12) Mairéad Nayager — Chief People Officer, Unilever (June 1, 2024–Present)

Mairéad Nayager joined Unilever as Chief People Officer on June 1, 2024, after serving as CHRO at Haleon and earlier at Diageo. She brought with her extensive experience in consumer goods, culture change, leadership development, and inclusion on a global scale. At Unilever, she leads the company’s global people strategy at a time of major organizational reset and sharper performance focus. Her remit includes culture, talent, and organization design, with a strong emphasis on placing top talent in high-value roles and building a faster, simpler, and more connected company. Under her leadership, Unilever has framed its people agenda around a winning culture, leadership depth, and what it calls the “Next Wave Organisation.” Nayager studied at Trinity College Dublin and has long been recognized for her commitment to inclusive leadership and capability building.

 

13) Anne Lebel — Chief Human Resources Officer & Ethics, Capgemini (July 2020–Present)

Anne Lebel joined Capgemini in July 2020 as Chief Human Resources Officer and later added ethics to her leadership remit in January 2025. Her appointment came at a pivotal moment, shortly after Capgemini’s expansion through the Altran acquisition, making talent integration and cultural alignment especially important. Lebel brought deep international experience from Natixis, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, Serono France, and earlier consulting and pharmaceutical HR roles. Her work at Capgemini has focused on building a more agile, inclusive, and future-ready organization across a large global workforce. She has consistently worked at the intersection of leadership development, culture shaping, and organizational transformation. Lebel is a graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques in Strasbourg and IAE Paris, and she remains one of the most respected HR leaders in European professional services.

 

14) Aileen Taylor — Group Chief People & Governance Officer, HSBC (October 2024–Present)

Aileen Taylor became Group Chief People & Governance Officer at HSBC in October 2024 after already serving the bank in senior governance leadership since 2019. Her role combines people leadership with governance oversight, giving her a uniquely broad mandate across one of the world’s largest banking groups. She is responsible for developing a workforce fit for the future across more than 210,000 employees globally, while also overseeing governance and internal communications. Before joining HSBC, Taylor spent 19 years at RBS in senior leadership roles across legal, governance, risk, and compliance, including as Chief Governance and Regulatory Officer, Board Counsel, and Group Secretary. She is a qualified lawyer, and that legal and regulatory background gives her a strong perspective on accountability, culture, and enterprise leadership. Taylor now sits at the intersection of people strategy, governance, and institutional resilience.

 

15) Sofia Merlo — Head of Human Resources, BNP Paribas (November 2, 2020–Present)

Sofia Merlo has built her entire career at BNP Paribas, which gives her unusual depth as a people leader inside one of Europe’s largest banking groups. She joined the bank in 1985 in corporate client roles and later ran the business center for southwest France before moving into Group Human Resources in 2000. In 2004, she became Group Head of Career Management and launched BNP Paribas’ diversity policy, helping shape the bank’s long-term approach to talent, inclusion, and leadership development. She later expanded her operating experience in private banking and wealth management, becoming Co-Head of Wealth Management worldwide before returning to HR leadership in 2020. As Head of Human Resources and a member of the executive committee, she oversees workforce strategy for a global institution while continuing to strengthen talent pipelines and culture. Merlo graduated from HEC Paris in 1985.

 

Related: Skills Every CHRO Should Have

 

16) Birgit Bohle — Board Member for Human Resources and Legal Affairs, Labor Director, Deutsche Telekom (January 1, 2019–Present)

Birgit Bohle has led Deutsche Telekom’s people agenda since January 2019 and added legal affairs to her board responsibilities in January 2020. Her background is notably commercial and operational, which gives her a broader leadership profile than that of a conventional HR executive. After beginning her career with an apprenticeship at BASF, she studied economics at WHU, ESC Nice, and the University of Texas at Austin, then held roles at Bertelsmann and McKinsey before spending more than a decade at Deutsche Bahn. At Deutsche Bahn, she ran major passenger and sales businesses, including DB Fernverkehr and DB Vertrieb, where she was associated with strong passenger growth and the expansion of digital ticketing. At Deutsche Telekom, she brings that same business-minded discipline to workforce strategy, labor leadership, and organizational modernization across one of Europe’s largest telecom groups.

 

17) Mairéad Nayager — Chief People Officer, Unilever (June 1, 2024–Present)

Mairéad Nayager joined Unilever as Chief People Officer in June 2024 after holding senior HR leadership roles at Haleon and Diageo. She brought with her deep experience in consumer goods, large-scale transformation, leadership development, and inclusive culture building. At Unilever, she leads the company’s global people agenda during a period of sharper performance focus and structural simplification. Her remit centers on building a winning culture, strengthening leadership pipelines, and shaping what Unilever describes as its next-wave organization, designed to be simpler, faster, and better connected. That work places her at the center of aligning talent, culture, and organizational design across one of the world’s most recognizable consumer products companies. Nayager studied at Trinity College Dublin and Smurfit Business School, and her leadership style is closely associated with culture change, talent acceleration, and inclusive leadership across global organizations.

 

18) Rob Kowalski — Chief People & Organization Officer, Novartis (September 1, 2021–Present)

Rob Kowalski stands out among global CHROs because he moved into the role from a scientific and regulatory leadership background rather than a traditional HR path. Novartis appointed him Chief People & Organization Officer in September 2021 after he had already held major global responsibilities in regulatory affairs and drug development. That background gives him a particularly strong understanding of innovation, capability building, and high-performance culture inside a research-driven business. Since taking over the people function, he has played an important role in implementing Novartis’ new structure and operating model to support the company’s next phase of innovation and growth. He also remains closely linked to inclusion and pay-equity priorities. Before entering the HR function, he had spent more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Kowalski holds both a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

 

19) Anne Lebel — Chief Human Resources Officer & Ethics, Capgemini (July 2020–Present)

Anne Lebel joined Capgemini in July 2020 at a strategically important moment, shortly after the group’s expansion through the Altran acquisition. Her appointment placed her at the center of cultural integration, leadership alignment, and workforce modernization across a very large global employee base. Before Capgemini, she served in senior HR leadership roles at Natixis, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, and Serono France, building a strong reputation in organizational development, talent strategy, and culture transformation. In January 2025, her responsibilities expanded further when she also became Group Head of Ethics, reflecting the breadth of her leadership within the company. At Capgemini, she has focused on strengthening agility, leadership mobility, and a more future-ready talent model across a complex multinational organization. Lebel is a graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques in Strasbourg and IAE Paris.

 

20) Aileen Taylor — Group Chief People & Governance Officer, HSBC (October 2024–Present)

Aileen Taylor became Group Chief People & Governance Officer at HSBC in October 2024 after already serving the bank in senior governance leadership since 2019. Her role is broader than a traditional CHRO mandate, combining people leadership with governance oversight across one of the world’s largest banking groups. She is responsible for helping develop a workforce fit for the future for more than 210,000 employees globally, while also overseeing governance and internal communications. Before joining HSBC, Taylor spent 19 years at RBS in senior legal, governance, risk, and compliance roles, including Chief Governance and Regulatory Officer, Board Counsel, and Group Secretary. That legal and regulatory background gives her a distinctive perspective on culture, accountability, and institutional leadership. At HSBC, she now sits at the intersection of people strategy, governance, conduct, and enterprise resilience. Taylor is a qualified UK lawyer.

 

Related: Top Critical Challenges That a CHRO Faces

 

Conclusion

Europe’s leading CHROs continue to show how influential modern people leadership has become in shaping business performance, innovation, culture, and long-term organizational strength. Across industries such as banking, energy, healthcare, retail, luxury, telecom, and technology, these executives are helping their companies build stronger leadership pipelines, manage change at scale, and create workplaces that can compete in a rapidly evolving global economy. Their careers also demonstrate that the CHRO role is no longer limited to traditional HR responsibilities. It now sits firmly at the center of enterprise strategy.

For professionals who want to build similar capabilities or advance into senior people leadership roles, this field offers tremendous opportunities. Check out our curated list of CHRO and HR Leadership Executive Programs to explore high-quality learning options designed for current and aspiring HR leaders looking to strengthen their strategic, organizational, and leadership impact.