It takes a village to keep Luminex running smoothly — something that may be known best to our human resource experts. We chatted with Kristie Brok, Luminex’s HR Manager for Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa, to find out how she works with employees from many different cultures and countries.
Q: What’s involved in being an HR manager at Luminex?
A: As the only HR representative in Europe, I’m responsible for every aspect of human resources — payroll, recruiting, training, legal, and more. With such diverse roles, I’m definitely a generalist rather than a specialist. In addition to our office in The Netherlands, we also have people living and working in the UK and Germany, so I have to deal with different types of legislation and other labor laws. That’s a nice aspect of my job since I like to work with different people from different cultures. The European team is small, but we work very closely.
Q: What did you do before joining Luminex?
A: I worked as an HR officer for an online marketing agency. It was a very different environment. I joined Luminex in February 2014 because I liked the international scope of the company and its focus on improving health around the world — that was very appealing.
Q: Did you always know you wanted a career in human resources?
A: When I was younger I wanted to become a teacher. My father made me aware of human resource management, and I went to an information day at school and fell in love with it right away. I like to work with people, advise and support people. Besides the social part I like the business side as well, and within HR I found that combination. My bachelor’s degree is in human resource management.
Q: If you could solve any clinical or genetic challenge, what would it be?
A: I’ve lost some family members because of cancer and still have relatives fighting this disease, so I would like to find a cure for that.
Q: What is something about you that no one at Luminex knows?
A: I have a degree as a hairdresser. In my free time, I cut people’s hair. I like to do something with my hands, and it’s easy to get results if you cut someone’s hair — with so far only positive results. My ultimate dream is to run a lunch room in Spain where people can get their hair cut too. I realize this is a strange combination, that’s probably why it’s still a dream!
Q: Do you have other hobbies?
A: For four months after finishing my bachelor’s degree, I traveled around the world. That’s something I really like to do.
Q: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
A: I like wining and dining with friends. I can appreciate a good steak! I also practice a boot camp, which is an outdoor exercise program where you use all the obstacles you come across during your run.
