Marie Van Rillas
YOUR PARTNER FOR PEOPLE & GROWTH
About me
The person
behind the strategy.
Marie Van Rillas,
HR Consultant & Employer Brand Expert
I'm Marie Van Rillas, an HR consultant based on the French Riviera. I work with founders and SMEs of 5 to 50 people in Switzerland, Europe and internationally, combining HR strategy and employer branding to help you attract, engage and keep the people who drive your growth.
I work with founders and SME leaders who know that getting people right is the lever that moves everything else and who looking for a real business partner.
15+
Years of Experience
5-2'500
People
5+
Industries
International reach
My story
Not on paper.
In practice, day to day.
For over 15 years I've worked across some pretty different worlds — luxury hospitality, NGOs, international private companies — always in the middle of the people and culture challenges that come with growth.
I've helped organisations hire better, build cultures that actually hold up under pressure, and develop leaders who bring out the best in their teams.
What I've learnt along the way is simple: strong organisations don't scale through perks or headcount. They grow when their people feel engaged, their culture is lived and not just written on a wall, and everyone understands where the business is going and why it matter
Today I run my own consulting practice, working with startups and SMEs at that critical stage: growing fast, but not yet sure how to make the people side keep up.
Marie Van Rillas.
Background
Where it comes from.
EXPERIENCE
Freelance HR Consultant & EB
Startups & SMEs, France · 2024–present
HR Manager & People Partner
Neste, Geneva · 2018–2023
HR Coordinator
Neste, IRU, Geneva · 2018–2023
Luxury Hospitality
Atlanta & Geneva · 2008–2014
CERTIFICATIONS
AI for HR
AIHR · 2026
Certified Digital Marketing Professional
Digital Marketing Institute · 2025
Developing Leaders, Transforming Organisations
IMD Business School · 2023
Strategic HR Leadership
Cornell University · 2022
Swiss HR Certificate
Ifage, Geneva· 2016
LANGUAGES
French
NATIVE
English
FLUENT
Spanish
BASICS
My approach
How I work.
There's no standard playbook. Just a real business with real people and the space to build something that fits.
01
Understand first
I start by understanding where you actually are, what's working, what isn't, and what the team needs right now. No assumptions.
02
Build with you
I build with you, not just for you. That might take a few weeks or a few months but the direction is clear from day one.
03
Focus on what moves things
No unnecessary complexity. No frameworks for the sake of it. Practical, honest work focused on what will make a difference.
Beyond work
When I am not at the table
When I'm not working, you'll find me kitesurfing, travelling, or somewhere new trying to understand how people live differently.
These aren't just hobbies. They've taught me that the best things — in sport and in business — come from reading the conditions, adapting fast, and trusting the process even when it's uncomfortable.
Kitesurfing
Travel
New cultures