Linde Jansen (PostNL): ‘Finance is a frontrunner’

You had a good position at Heineken. What happened when you were approached for PostNL?
‘I certainly was not actively looking for another role. I was happy at Heineken, and I still have a green heart. But when I got the call about this position, it triggered something in me. If I ever wanted to become a CFO, with the final responsibility, this was a great opportunity. I want to do new things, learn new things. That is my biggest drive, it gives me energy. I have always found PostNL an appealing company, particularly because of its street recognition and brand strength. And I am captivated by its social character. I felt a certain emotion about it, which is important to me. I certainly do not operate purely from reason alone, but also from emotion.’

This is your first CFO role. Have there been things in recent months that made you think: I did not know this was part of the job?
‘I have not necessarily been surprised by the past few months. But I have now experienced what the role entails. I like its breadth. As CFO, you see so much more than just finance. I have gotten to know the entire business and immersed myself in the strategy. What perhaps surprised me in a positive way is that this company has so many strengths. We are a leader in many areas, particularly in digitization and e-commerce. It is just a shame that not everyone is aware of this. There is a certain modesty at PostNL. On the one hand, that is very charming, but on the other hand, we are sometimes too modest. We should show a little more of what we are capable of, because it is quite impressive.’

How would you describe the culture at PostNL?
‘It is a very warm culture, above all. People here really look out for their colleagues. There is a lot of care for each other and for the social aspect. Many of our colleagues here are people who are distanced from the labor market. We have a ‘special moments fund’ that we use to support social issues. Attention is paid to colleagues with debts or financial problems. What I also find striking is the enormous can-do mentality. When problems arise, people roll up their sleeves and issues often get resolved very quickly. That is a great quality.’

You have not exactly arrived in calm waters. There is always something going on with PostNL, there are challenges with the government, the revenue model is under pressure, you had to immediately get started on a capital markets day... It is not as though you could just step in and calmly manage things.
‘I can indeed not say these have been quiet months. And that is a positive, as the alternative would have only made me restless. I was thrown in at the deep end right away. I like that. It was like jumping on a moving TGV train. Still, I tried to take a fair amount of time for my onboarding. I wanted to understand this company. I come from a completely different industry. As CFO, I could look at the numbers only from a purely technical perspective, but I really want to understand the story behind the numbers. So, I spent a lot of time looking at the operations. I spoke to a lot of people. I felt that understanding the company was a prerequisite for being able to function properly. This is a complex industry, where you are highly dependent on all kinds of movements. Everything is very precise. What is more, the margins are thin.’

How do you see the role of the CFO, aside from the obvious topics such as the annual accounts and budget control?
‘I see the CFO as a particularly important player within the organization. Finance is much more than a support function. I see the CFO primarily as a transformational leader. The finance domain has a unique position within an organization. We have a bird's-eye view of everything, and we have insight into everything. It is like air traffic control, you see it all happening. And because you see it all, you have an enormously influential position and play a key role in transformation.
We want to focus our strategy on innovation and digitalization. As CFO, I, together with the entire finance team, have a key role to play in this. In fact, I see finance as a frontrunner, a driver of this transformation. As finance, we are truly transformation leaders, not transformation supporters.’

The markets are turbulent and therefore difficult to predict. That is challenging for a CFO. Nowadays, he or she is not only expected to report on the past period, but also gauge the future: what lies ahead …
‘Yes, that is exactly right. A CFO used to mainly report on the past, but now it is more about looking ahead from the cockpit. Steering. Forecasting is essential here. And not just on the figures, but especially on optimization. For PostNL, for example, it is vital to get the routing right – from depot to customer. If you use technology and data effectively here, it provides calm amidst the turbulence. Forecasts are very important in this regard.’

As the new CFO of PostNL, you will be dealing with CEO Pim Berendsen. And he happens to be your predecessor as CFO here. How is that?
‘In my case, it worked out very well. Pim and I discussed the division of roles and mutual expectations in detail beforehand. Those were excellent conversations. Inspiring, too. I think I can say that Pim and I really complement each other. We make a good team, which is very important in a board. Together you are stronger. I can also learn a lot from his knowledge and experience. He helped me enormously with onboarding, I am tremendously grateful for that.’

The past few months have been dominated by the new strategy, which was presented in September. To what extent is that also your strategy? Were you immediately closely involved?
‘Very much so. I worked hard on it with Pim and our executive committee over the past few months. We developed the strategy together and presented it at our capital markets day. So yes, this is also completely my strategy. The coming period will be entirely focused on implementation.
We have set the target and now it is time to start delivering. We have defined three areas in which we want to take action: e-commerce, international operations (platforms, ed.) and the postal service. That is where the focus is, with growth, value, impact and innovation. I am particularly attracted to the innovation aspect. I think there is a lot to be gained there.’

What would you like to achieve?
‘We need to carefully consider where we can add value. How we intend to achieve that should be central to every decision. This can be done on a very small scale: when a vacancy arises, the first question we need to ask ourselves is: do we really still need this position? Or could we also look at our processes? We really need to further automate some of the work – to make it more efficient, cheaper, and more sustainable. This way, we can use the human brain for what truly adds value. Automation frees up resources that you can use to invest in growth. Finance can be a driver of that.’

Do you have an example?
‘Take parcel delivery: it can and must be made much more efficient. People order a package and usually have it delivered the next day as standard. But often they are not at home on that next day. And we drive back and forth with those vans, and the consumer is unhappy because the parcel has not been received. Not good for the customer, the web shop, the climate, or for us as the delivery company. As a sector, we really need to organize this better, for example, by making the best delivery time an option when placing an online order. That should become the standard, because customer satisfaction is paramount. PostNL has a market-making role in this. Breaking through that system, not just for us, but for the entire e-commerce ecosystem.’

As a CFO, you also have to maintain boundaries and be firm at times. How do you do that? What characterizes you as a leader? How is your own compass set?
‘I think my compass really is performance driven. We are trying to instill a performance culture here. I am not rigid, but I am very clear about what we agree on. A deal is a deal. And that applies to me too. I do give people a lot of freedom. I am definitely not a micromanager. I myself find it very annoying to be micromanaged. I believe above all in empowering your people and encouraging entrepreneurship. That is how you create ownership. And through that ownership, you become results-oriented.
I also believe in fewer, bigger, better. Focus on a few important things and do them well. And I also believe that you need not plan everything through from A to Z in advance. If you have thought something through eighty percent, that is often enough to get started. In practice, I have seen that you can endlessly dwell on that last twenty percent. If you do that, nothing ever gets done. It takes a lot of time and energy. It slows things down enormously. Take ownership and go for it!’

Do you see yourself as a ‘new leader’?
‘I do not know. This is mainly just who I am. This is what suits me. But it could also be that it is a good fit for these times. With all the turbulence and volatility around us, I think it is good to give people ownership. The same applies to talent development: giving talented individuals the confidence to do things and develop themselves. That makes your organization more resilient in turbulent times or during transformations. You do not want leaders who want to do everything themselves.’

Did you have role models when you were younger?
‘I watched a lot of Pippi Longstocking as a child. I do not necessarily see her as a role model, but her mentality has always appealed to me - I have never done it before, so I think I can. Just go for it. And then you will see for yourself if you succeed.
I have also been fortunate to have met a number of people in my career who recognized certain talents in me. People who dared to put me in a position: ‘Okay, you might not have all the boxes checked yet, but just go for it.’ I am grateful to someone like Laurence Debroux, the former CFO of Heineken, for example. She gave me that confidence. I learned a lot from that and still do. I model myself on such leaders. I hope to be able to be like that for others too.’

What are you allergic to as a CFO?
‘People who come to me with a problem without having thought about the possible solutions. People who then expect me to come up with the solution. I probably learned my most important lesson on the hockey field. I played hockey at a high level. I was a hockey player who was everywhere. If someone else lost the ball, I would go and fix it. I was solving problems for everyone. On the one hand, that benefited me a lot, but I was also doing work for others. I was solving other people's problems. Maybe that is where my allergy comes from. When I stopped doing that, I became a better hockey player, and more importantly, the team started to function better. My coach always said, ‘Linde, you are more important on the field without the ball than with it.’ I have always remembered that. Let someone else have the ball. And make sure you position yourself well. Without the ball, you can be more decisive for the team. Then you create space for the team, and the opportunities will arise naturally!’

This interview was published in Management Scope 02 2026.