Lenke Taylor joined us on The Modern People Leader to talk about her path from engineering to HR, and what it means to be a true business partner.

We discussed how HR can lead alongside CEOs and CFOs, building high-impact teams, and how working in Europe has shaped her leadership approach.

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(04:37) Lenke’s career journey: From chemical engineer to people leader

(10:42) What is Personio and how Lenke ended up there

(12:17) What business partnering really means in HR

(14:37) How AI is changing the way we work

(19:05) HR’s evolving role in an AI-transformed workplace

(22:46) The CEO–CFO–CPO trio: Strategic collaboration in practice

(27:45) Stage-specific HR: Lessons from Google, BuzzFeed, and Personio

(30:46) Hiring for growth-stage companies vs. enterprise environments

(33:29) Which HR practices are universal, and which should be tailored

(36:17) The perks of being in HR at an HR tech company

(38:24) Working in Europe vs. the US: Major leadership and HR differences

(44:20) Cultural contrasts between US and European leadership styles

(47:33) What’s top of mind for HR leaders in Europe today

(48:54) Rapid-fire questions: Advice, superpower nickname, strategy to steal

(52:06) Guest recommendation: Katarina Berg (CHRO at On, formerly Spotify)

(53:04) One-word close: Business is people strategy

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