For Isabelle Faber, human resources shouldn’t be seen as a support function. “It has to be at the core of decision-making, anticipating skills, steering workforce evolution, and enabling change.”
As Director of Human Resources, Public Relations & CSR and Executive Committee member at POST Luxembourg, one of the country’s largest employers, with around 4,500 working there, Faber makes the case that there’s “very little room for approximation” in her field, given that one-third of the company’s workforce is set to retire within the next 10 years, but also due to other challenges: “profitability remains structural, with labour costs representing close to half our expenses.”
While she has progressively expanded her scope within POST Luxembourg over the years, her career has never been linear: she started in medicine before entering the world of business, and her path has taken her “from radio to retail, from consulting to the banking sector”, not to mention her entrepreneurial experiences. One of her greatest professional honours was being called by the Head of State to serve as an advisor within the Maison du Grand-Duc. And, just last year at the age of 57, she reached another personal milestone: completing her first university degree with an Executive Master in HR from Sciences Po Paris.
But what also makes her proud is “the ability to lead change without losing people along the way. Each time a team understands not only what needs to be done, but why it matters, each time there is alignment and engagement, that is where I find the greatest satisfaction.”
“Legitimacy does not come first, it is built over time, through experience and consistency.”
For Faber, there aren’t shortcuts when it comes to work, and confidence is a result, not a starting point. “Legitimacy does not come first, it is built over time, through experience and consistency.” Positioning oneself should be about balance: “Too much, and you may be perceived negatively; not enough, and you risk being overlooked… Over time, you learn to navigate this with more composure, to speak when it matters, and to let your actions build credibility.”
This exclusive portrait was published in the 10th edition of Forbes Luxembourg.
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