Marloes Halkes: A Journey of Purpose Driven Leadership

In executive search, success isn't just about filling roles; it's about shaping careers and building trust that lasts through life's transitions. For businesses, this means partnering with an executive search firm that understands leadership beyond the CV, ensuring cultural fit and long-term impact. For candidates, it’s about having an advocate who sees you as more than a job title and helps you navigate choices that align with your values and aspirations.

Marloes Halkes’ journey with PageGroup illustrates this perfectly. Across continents and career stages, the partnership wasn’t transactional; it was transformational. This story shows how listening, empathy, and strategic insight can turn global moves into grounded purpose, and why the right search partner matters whether you’re hiring or being hired.

From Global Moves to Grounded Purpose: Marloes Halkes’ Journey with PageGroup

For Marloes Halkes, Global Director Continuous Improvement at SHV Energy, leadership has never been about titles. It's always been about transformation. Over a 25-year career in research labs, logistics hubs and executive boardrooms across Europe and Australia, Marloes has led with curiosity, empathy and a relentless drive to improve. And PageGroup was proud to support several important transitions throughout her journey.

This a story about growth, trust and the power of being seen, not just as a CV, but as a whole person. A noteworthy detail: Marloes’ career was shaped by many influences, and the roles we partnered with her on were among the chapters that helped define her journey; moments where her strengths aligned with opportunities she was excited to pursue.

A Career Defined by Curiosity, Courage and Connection

Marloes has built a career rooted in transformation and purpose. With a foundation in physics and chemistry, she began her professional journey in research at Shell. While she enjoyed the intellectual challenge, she found herself craving more human interaction and a deeper understanding of business.

This led her to a traineeship in logistics, where she discovered her passion for change management and influencing without authority. During this time, as she explored new opportunities beyond research, she found a new project with Michael Page’s support. That initial experience not only helped Marloes transition into a new industry but also marked the beginning of a long-standing partnership.

Global Experience, Local Impact

Marloes’s journey then took an international turn, relocating with her husband to Australia. While the move was exciting, it also came with its challenges; most notably, arriving without a professional network. Drawing on her earlier positive experience, Marloes reached out to Michael Page Australia. That connection proved pivotal. Michael Page didn’t just help her find a role; we helped her find her footing in a new culture and market.

The new project expanded her leadership lens, exposing her to diverse perspectives and deepening her understanding of how values and norms vary across cultures. Marloes reflects: “I learned that being right isn’t the point. It’s about understanding belief systems and building bridges across them.”

Eventually, after an amazing career in Australia, the decision to start a family prompted Marloes to return to the Netherlands. While she loved living in Australia, she noticed that work-life balance for young mothers wasn’t ideal. She turned once again to PageGroup – this time in the Netherlands – with a clear request: a permanent role close to home, without international travel. The result? A position in her hometown, where she could ride her bike to work. It was more than a job; it was a lifestyle fit, and testament to the power of listening and understanding personal priorities.

Leadership Through Listening

Over the years, Marloes evolved from a logistics expert into a transformation strategist and servant leader. Her third placement with the support of PageGroup, leading a team of IT professionals, was especially formative. Without technical expertise, she leaned into listening, inquiry and collaborative decision-making. The result was a thriving team built on trust and shared purpose.

Full Circle, Forward Momentum

Now, in 2025, Marloes has come full circle. With the support of Natasja Sweep, Head of Research at Page Executive Netherlands, she’s stepped into a senior leadership role that reflects the depth of her experience and the clarity of her values.

After 25 years of experience, Marloes knows what gives her energy, and that is what she has chosen to prioritise: “Success is about impact and doing what you love, in a way that’s sustainable”.

Marloes' journey with PageGroup has spanned continents, career stages and life chapters. As Natasja told her during this most recent mandate, “As soon as you’re at the interview table, you’ll be hired.” That confidence, paired with honest conversations about self-promotion and negotiation, helped Marloes step into this next chapter with clarity and conviction. PageGroup didn’t just open doors; it helped her walk through them with purpose.

A Partnership That Grows With You

Across four placements and two continents, PageGroup has been more than a recruiter, we have been a strategic partner who has consistently championed her growth.

PageGroup consultants and experts never made me feel like I had to sell myself. They listened to what I value in a role, in a team, in a company, and they helped me see possibilities I hadn’t considered. They didn’t just match me to roles; they advocated for me. They understood that my impact couldn’t be captured in bullet points and helped me navigate negotiations and found opportunities that aligned with my purpose and lifestyle

Marloes Halkes,
Global Director Continuous Improvement, SHV Energy

Marloes is the kind of leader whose impact speaks louder than her words. You won’t see her shouting her achievements; but they’re there, and they’re powerful. With someone like her, cold applications don’t work. You need to go beyond the script, build warmth and trust, with the client and the candidate. That’s where the real story unfolds. That’s where she shines

Natasja Sweep,
Head of Research Netherlands

Advice for Women in Leadership

To women navigating international careers, Marloes offers this wisdom: stay curious and keep learning. Don’t rush to solve; understand first. And if you are balancing a career with a family, read “Couples That Work” by Jennifer Petriglieri. It helped Marloes and her partner have the conversations they needed to make decisions that worked for both of them, and for their children.

Final Reflections

Through her partnership with us, Marloes Halkes didn’t just build a career. She built a legacy of purpose-driven leadership. Her story reminds us that the right support can turn transitions into transformations and unlock doors we didn’t even know existed. And that sometimes, success begins with remembering a name; and making the call.

Marloes Halkes

Global Director Continuous Improvement, SHV Energy
Marloes is a seasoned transformation leader with international experience across Europe and Australia. With roots in science and a career shaped by change management, cultural adaptability and purpose‑driven leadership, she is known for guiding teams through complex transitions with empathy and clarity.