Building a succession planning framework for critical roles at Beobank

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Project at a glance

Client

Beobank

Function

HR

Challenge

Succession planning did not exist at Beobank, despite a strategic need to ensure talent continuity in critical roles. The challenge was to structure this approach and secure buy-in from leadership and teams around a completely new initiative.

Solution

Co-construction with Altesia of a succession planning framework for critical roles: clarification of objectives, a structured methodology and deployment support to embed the approach over time.

Impact

A strategic HR tool now fully integrated within the bank and sustainably adopted by the organisation, enabling anticipation of transitions in key roles while strengthening trust, business alignment and talent continuity.

“Succession planning simply did not exist at Beobank. […] Laurence helped us turn this idea into something concrete, structured and truly embedded within the bank.”

Nathalie Moens de Haas Head of Talent Acquisition & Development at Beobank

Context

At Beobank, the need to implement a structured approach to succession planning became increasingly clear. Until then, no formal process existed to anticipate transitions in critical roles. This gap represented a strategic risk in terms of talent continuity and business stability.

Nathalie Moens de Hase, Head of Talent Acquisition & Development at Beobank, identified this topic as a strategic HR priority. However, she was facing a complex challenge: how to introduce such a forward-looking initiative in a way that would be understood and accepted by both leadership and the wider organisation.

The project raised fundamental internal questions: Why now? Is this a signal that I am going to be replaced? In a context where succession planning was entirely new territory, it was essential to clarify objectives, build trust and secure buy-in around the initiative.

On the client side, the project was led by Nathalie Moens de Hase, in partnership with Laurence Janssens, Partner at Altesia HR. Together, they co-built and deployed a methodology aimed not only at structuring the approach, but also at ensuring engagement from all stakeholders.

“Succession planning simply did not exist at Beobank. We wanted to implement it because it is a strategic HR tool to anticipate what cannot always be anticipated, particularly for critical roles. Laurence helped us turn this idea into something concrete, structured and truly embedded within the bank,” explains Nathalie Moens de Hase.

Our approach

Succession planning involved a genuine cultural shift. To ensure its success, we structured our support around three key stages:

1
Building internal buy-in
The first challenge was to secure buy-in around a new approach to succession planning. As the topic had never been formally addressed at Beobank, initial reactions ranged from curiosity to resistance.

To prepare the ground, Nathalie Moens de Hase and Laurence Janssens worked together to frame the initiative around three key business levers:
- First, the cost of external recruitment for critical roles — such as C-level positions — is extremely high and places significant pressure on both HR resources and the business.
- Second, relying on external profiles can dilute the company culture, whereas internal successors already master the organisation’s values and ways of working.
- Third, identifying and developing internal talent makes it possible to recognise and retain high-potential employees, even when no position is immediately available. This approach therefore strengthens engagement and long-term employability.
“The initial reactions were: why are we doing this? Are we preparing for someone’s departure? But Laurence helped us explain the ‘why’, demonstrate the value for the business and build the trust required for it to work,” recalls Nathalie Moens de Hase.
2

Building the approach

Once the initiative had been validated internally, the next step was to structure it and roll it out across the organisation.

Nathalie had a clear vision of the need and the end goal, but had never developed a succession planning strategy before and had neither a ready-made methodology nor a toolbox.

A step-by-step methodology was therefore designed to identify, assess and prepare successors for around 25 critical roles within the bank. A key focus was on involving HR Business Partners in the process, equipping them to engage operational managers and act as a bridge between central HR and the business.
3

Deployment

Laurence supported the internal team throughout the deployment, particularly in preparing and facilitating key sessions with the Executive Committee.

“I had never done this before, but Laurence helped me structure the process and present it to the Executive Committee, and I felt strongly supported. The initiative was very well received and, two years later, we are still using some of the same methods,” Nathalie shares.

Results

Two years after its initial launch, the succession planning framework is firmly embedded and continues to be used internally. This demonstrates both its relevance and the level of ownership by the HR team. Several elements of the original methodology are still applied today, particularly for mapping critical roles and conducting talent reviews.

The approach quickly proved its value. Since its implementation, Beobank has experienced five departures in critical roles and, in each case, the designated successor was the one identified in the succession plan and prepared in advance. This reduced the need for urgent external recruitment, lowered costs and ensured smoother transitions. The initiative also had a positive impact on internal talent mobility and employee engagement, by recognising potential and creating visible development opportunities.

More importantly, the process helped to shift mindsets internally : what was initially perceived with suspicion is now considered a strategic, people-centred investment. The HR team, which initially did not know where to start, now leads the topic with confidence, supported by tools, proven practices and a strengthened role as a strategic business partner.

“This has changed the way we look at talent. We have built something solid, now fully accepted and integrated, both at Beobank and within our corporate culture,” concludes Nathalie Moens de Hase.