Renée de Dobbelaere: Doubling down on the human connection

Renée de Dobbelaere, Talent Manager at Randstad Digital, describes herself as a sparring partner and coach for IT professionals working with clients on an interim or consultancy basis. An avid reader and a fan of fiction, she’s skilled at putting herself in the shoes of others – and finds that the root of inclusivity lies in truly grasping human dynamics.

The story of Renée’s career is one filled with character development and even some plot twists. After finishing her law degree, she completed an internship at a firm specialising in criminal law. Although she found the work meaningful, it was mostly desk-bound and she missed the dynamic nature of working with people to solve problems collaboratively. As fate would have it, she took a gap year in the year that COVID hit, and she vowed to use the tumultuous time to do some introspection and to broaden her worldview before she finalised her decision about her choice for her master’s study. She experienced a lot of inner conflict about not completing her postgraduate studies in law, but at the same time she was keen to explore a new field. “I remember at the time that the choice felt really definitive,” she recalls. “And it turned out actually to be the case.”

From law to a leap of faith

Renée started working at a company specialising in executive job coaching in addition to a part-time position working as a paralegal in divorce law. The latter role eventually shifted into more of a project manager and team leader position, and she came to the realisation that the legal work was not where her heart lay. “This was a Eureka moment, and an inciting incident for me,” she continues. “I decided to pursue a master’s in Business Administration by answering three basic questions: who am I, what do I want to do, and what helps me to get there?” This master’s degree proved to be a great choice for Renée, because she graduated Cum Laude and won the Best Thesis Award.

Championing connection

After completing her master’s degree, Renée joined Randstad, where she continued to shape her own professional and personal growth as a senior account specialist for big projects like KPN Retail and Schiphol. She considers the company’s two-year management traineeship a pivotal accelerator in her development – an experience that reflects Randstad’s strong commitment to nurturing talent. The programme and consulting projects also laid the foundation for her future role as Talent Manager, a position she stepped into in 2025. In this role, Renée oversees the full HR responsibility for around 35 IT professionals for Randstad Digital. Every day, she focuses on questions like: “How can we align your personal development with the challenges our clients face, and how can we make your growth journey even more effective?” As a Talent Manager, Renée sees herself not as the author of someone else’s story, but as a guide helping professionals become the protagonists of their own. Although she supports with administrative tasks, she believes that the essence of her role is to support the actual people behind the consultant. “I gain a great deal of satisfaction from building a community where proactive collaboration and mutual respect are at the core. Ultimately, it’s about maintaining connections and helping employees grow within this environment, and it’s been a great place for a people-oriented person like me to shine,” she adds.

"Don’t devalue your people skills - double down on them."

The future of growth

Renée holds an old Dutch saying close to her heart, which translates to a day without laughter is a day not lived. To her, humour is a tool that helps her with her one-on-ones and helps to create a safe space for people to explore their areas of growth. She isn’t shy to poke fun at herself and finds that humour tends to be a greater unifier than technical discussions. When considering the conversations she has on a regular basis with her wider team, it’s hard to pinpoint specific and universal challenges that IT teams face. “I see a very big range of personalities and priorities within the IT workforce, but there is an ever-present intrinsic motivation for technical folk to keep developing their hard skills,” she notes. With the increasing use of AI, Renée believes that career growth in the future will not be about how well you write prompts, for example, but how well you understand human dynamics.

Harnessing humanity

Her simple advice to others: “At Randstad Digital, we value a talent-first digital enablement approach to achieve amazing results for our clients. And I believe that humanity is the key to harnessing new technologies. Don’t devalue your people skills as someone working in the IT or technical fields – rather double down on them.” Renée recalls an anecdote that left her in awe of how being deeply human can impact people. She received a note from someone in a security position who had recently completed his diploma and had received a congratulatory card and gift from the client. He felt so deeply moved by the card that he framed it and hung it alongside his diploma – above his bed. “Connecting people to work where they feel seen and recognised in their talents is something that will continue to be my personal driver,” she concludes. For Renée, that card above the bed says everything: when people feel truly seen, the work takes care of itself.

 This article was originally published in the RightBrains DIGIDIVA Magazine. Check out this year's issue for more inspiration or to get involved!