Meet the Workday Rising EMEA Team 2023

The countdown to Workday Rising 2023 is on, and we cannot wait to introduce you to our incredible team at the frontline representing VirtualResource. Get ready to meet the faces behind the hype and expertise:

Helen Kromberg – Co-founder / Managing Partner

With experience in various roles, including Program Manager, Workday Architect, and HR specialist, Helen has the expertise to manage Workday deployment and support across HCM modules and workstreams comprehensively.

Cristene Kruiter – Co-founder / Managing Partner

With an international footprint, Cristene’s sophisticated and creative approach to the HCM module sets new standards for excellence and innovation in the global arena. Her passions revolve around training, learning, and analytics.

Ryan Zoutendyk – Partner / Client Services Director

Ryan takes the lead, driving operational excellence to new heights across all areas of Workday projects, support services, Cloud Extend and AI. Ryan’s forward-thinking approach paves the way for success in every project.

Lauren Ernstzen – Customer Success Director

The visionary leader that ensures client satisfaction by not only meeting but surpassing their needs, objectives, and expectations.

Brendan Kennedy – AMS Practice Lead

Collaborating closely with clients to align our managed services with their strategies and roadmaps. Our team conducts Workday release assessments, support demand management, and tenant optimization, all aimed at maximizing your Workday investment.

Let's deep dive into the team

Cristene Kruiter

Co-Founder / Managing Partner

We are elated to have Cristene, one of our VirtualResource representatives, bringing an abundance of Workday expertise and innovation to the table, embodying our commitment to excellence.

“Did you know that Cristene is a thought leader in Talent Optimisation, having worked with global organisations to develop their skills driven agendas? She is also our resident Analytical, AI & GenAI expert – definitely worth connecting with.”

Her sophisticated and creative innovation knows no bounds. Cristene has an extensive wealth of Workday expertise, specializing in Talent & Performance, Benefits and Compensation (both Core & Advanced).

She continues to redefine HCM with her visionary approach breathing strategic life into projects, inspiring new industry best practices, innovative solutions, and the utilizing of Workday’s full capabilities.

Helen Kromberg

Co-Founder / Managing Partner

Meet Helen, your gateway to programme management excellence. With an unparalleled specialization in Workday, Helen is the experienced professional who can turn your project into a resounding success.

Helen, specializes in the following key Workday areas:

  • HCM
  • Compensation
  • Absence
  • Reporting
  • Time Tracking
  • Security

Helen’s diverse skills make her an invaluable asset for any project, taking a comprehensive and result-oriented approach that will match your organization’s goals. 

If you’re looking for a strategic partner to navigate the complexities of your project, Helen is the name to know.

Ryan Zoutendyk

Partner / Client Services Director

Ryan has a wealth of experience across HCM, leading global deployments, project delivery, HR Tech transformations, and solution design all driven to ensure the success of our customers and their investment in Workday.

Ready to chat about all and anything Workday – from Cloud Extend use cases, Onboarding employee experience to Manager self-service, and more. 

Ryan’s versatile range of skills positions him as a valuable asset for any project, with the capability to address a diverse variety of HR and operational requirements.

Here is a snapshot of Ryan’s impressive skill set:

  • HCM
  • Recruiting
  • Security
  • Compensation Management
  • Absence Management
  • Orgs and Data

Lauren Ernstzen

Customer Success Director

The success of a project is only as good as the leadership driving the success!

Introducing Lauren, our dedicated and results-driven Customer Success Director who will represent VirtualResource at Workday Rising 2023. She is the driving force behind our mission to exceed client expectations and build long-lasting partnerships.

She started her Workday career in 2019 leading the functional implementation of Workday HCM across 13 countries. She is your trusted partner on the journey to achieving your goals and maximizing the value of our solutions.

With an unwavering commitment to ensuring our clients’ satisfaction and growth, Lauren continues to push the industry boundaries, setting new standards of excellence.

She brings a comprehensive skill set to the table, including:

  • Strategic Partnership
  • Client-Orientation
  • Problem Solving
  • Change and Communication Management
  • Product Knowledge and Client Advocacy

Brendan Kennedy

AMS Practice Lead

Brendan’s expertise extends to the AMS field, where he leverages a tech-savvy approach to enhance efficiency, functionality, and user experience.

Having worked across a variety of organisations from Global Magic Circle Law Firms, Large Pharmaceuticals, National Large Retail and Global Oil & Gas to name a few, he has extensive experience in Workday.

An exceptionally driven change leader with expertise in complete HCM delivery and over 14 years’ experience in HR Transformation.

Brendan’s versatility means he has developed key skills and gained valuable experiences in programme management, data migration, functional design and business analysis.

From the onset to execution, Brendan navigates the intricate landscape of projects and AMS with diligent precision.

Want to know more?

Contact us today for a free consultation to find out what VirtualResource can do for you.
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VR Transformation

Our dedicated Transformation Team are HR experts that speak tech, skilled at providing system agnostic HR Transformation.

We are seasoned professionals who have done this before - consultants that have been in the field, not just in the classroom. Whether it’s everyday enhancements or a full-scale global transformation, we provide practical, grounded advice that supports you on your journey.

We offer the following services:
  • Advisory
  • Organisation & Service Design
  • Process Design
  • Change
  • Learning
  • Operational Support

Incubane

Our Innovation team is focused on helping your business get more value out of Workday by leveraging the latest technologies. We offer custom solutions that are built in Extend, or off-the-shelf products that are part of the Built on Workday programme. Incubane uses the latest technologies & artificial intelligence to be at the forefront of innovation within the Workday ecosystem.

We offer:
  • Workday Extend Services
  • Built on Workday Applications

Technology Services

Our Technology Services are here to support you at every stage of your Workday and ServiceNow journey. Whether you're starting a new project, looking for expert guidance, or need reliable day-to-day support, we bring a mix of practical delivery and smart advice to help your systems run smoothly and deliver real business value.

We offer:
  • Delivery Services
  • Advisory Services
  • Application Support

Embed & Sustain

As changes go live, we ensure long-term success by tracking progress, measuring performance, and embedding the change. We provide you with the foundations to enable continuous improvement and innovation, keeping your HR function adaptable and aligned with business strategy.

Integrate

In this phase, we align people, processes, and technology, equipping your teams with the right skills and tools. Through transition management, targeted change interventions and just in time training, we provide a tailored approach to integrate the transformation into your daily operations and culture.

Innovate

Starting with a maturity assessment, we identify improvement areas, then use design thinking to reimagine HR processes and service models to drive efficiency & customer experience. By introducing innovation and leveraging technology, we ensure your HR function is agile and adaptable to business needs.

Align

We work closely with you to ensure that the HR function is strategically aligned with your organization’s goals. We focus on defining a strong business case, shaping the change, comms and governance approaches, and ensuring leadership is fully on board with the transformation objectives and plan.

Operational Support - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

HR leadership and governance to ensure consistent, compliant, business-aligned HR delivery.

INNOVATE

COE expertise to design, enhance, and deliver innovative solutions.

INTEGRATE

HR business partnering and cross-COE expertise to connect people solutions end-to-end and drive cohesive delivery.

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Ongoing delivery, reporting, and expertise to embed, sustain and continuously improve operations.

Learning - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

Define strategy and approach for learning creation & delivery.

INNOVATE

Plan and develop learning platform and content.

INTEGRATE

Deliver training content.

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Evaluate training impact and knowledge transfer.

Change - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

Define Change Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement Approach.

INNOVATE

Assess change impacts and develop key messages & change interventions.

INTEGRATE

Mobilise change interventions and deliver key messages. Manage change readiness & mitigate risks.

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Embed and sustain the change. Manage transition to BAU.

Process Design - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

Review current state processes and controls.

INNOVATE

Leverage tech and AI to design & test optimized end to end HR processes (global & local).

INTEGRATE

Prepare to deploy new processes. Develop process knowledge & content.

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Monitor process adoption and effectiveness measures, and design improvements.

Organisation & Service Design - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

Define HR Operating Model in alignment with business objectives

INNOVATE

Design future state HR organisation and develop HR Service catalogue & playbook

INTEGRATE

Deliver transition plan. Assess Operational Readiness for go live

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Monitor service metrics and refine service level agreements

Advisory - Where are you On your journey?

ALIGN

Vendor selection support, project/ programme management, feasibility and business case development.

INNOVATE

Conduct HR Maturity Assessment. Advise on AI/tech innovations.

INTEGRATE

Provide Workforce strategy advice during transition and resource Operational roles.

EMBED & SUSTAIN

Advise on adoption strategy and success metrics. Design reporting and analytics.