Hello,
I am Marie Van Rillas
HR Consultant & Employer Brand Expert.
I help startups and SMEs build the people foundations to grow with confidence.
My Story
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.
Not on paper. In practice, day to day.
Today I run my own consulting practice, working with startups and SMEs who are at that critical stage: growing fast, but not yet sure how to make the people side keep up.
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 matters.
That's what I help build.
Because your growth begins with your team.
Why startups and SMEs ?
Every startup and SME is different.
The stage, the team, the culture, the challenges, nothing is ever quite the same. That's exactly what I like about it.
There's no standard playbook to follow, no one-size-fits-all solution to apply. Just a real business with real people, and the space to build something that actually fits.
Working with startups and SMEs is where I do my best work and honestly, where I have the most fun.
Decisions get made fast. You see the impact of your work almost immediately.
I don't come in with a ready-made solution and try to fit your business into it.
I start by understanding where you actually are, what's working, what isn't, and what the team really needs right now.
From there I build with you, not just for you. That might take a few weeks or a few months depending on what's needed but the approach is always the same: practical, honest, and focused on what will actually make a difference for your business.
No unnecessary complexity. No frameworks for the sake of it.
Just the work that moves things forward.
How I work
Beyond work
When I’m not working, you’ll most likely find me:
🌍 travelling
🪁 kitesurfing
☀ exploring new cultures and meeting new people
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.
