Leading change starts with people

3 min read

The world around us is changing fast. New technologies, shifting markets, and increasing complexity call for leaders who can create clarity, bring people together around a shared purpose, and help teams move forward with confidence.

That's why leadership development is a key part of our HR strategy and why we invest in building a strong leadership pipeline for the future.

One of the ways we do this is through Lead the Change, a six-month development journey launched for senior leaders in 2025.

The leadership skills the future demands

"Today's leaders are coaches who inspire and co-create," says Lien Meuleman, Chief HR Officer at Barco. "Our teams are looking for leaders who can guide them through change with clarity and empathy. People want to understand the why behind their work. It's our leaders' role to make that visible, and our role in HR to help leadership evolve accordingly."

Developing those capabilities is at the heart of the Lead the Change program.

Looks like you haven't accepted cookies

Activate performance cookies to watch this video.

Watch the video to hear how participants experienced the journey and what they took away from it.

Learning beyond the classroom

Lead the Change combines virtual learning, personal reflection, business challenges, feedback, and immersive experiences designed to push participants beyond their usual frame of reference.

Working with long-term partner StreetwiZe, participants step into unfamiliar environments where listening, curiosity, empathy, and collaboration become essential.

As part of the program, participants travel to Romania, where they work alongside street kids and tackle challenges together.

Many senior leaders are used to relying on their expertise and experience. In these environments, those reference points suddenly disappear. It requires a willingness to unlearn what you know before you can build new skills and perspectives. You have to start from scratch: listening, observing, asking questions, and building trust.

Lien Meuleman, Chief HR Officer

The experience encourages leaders to challenge assumptions, learn from others, and bring fresh perspectives back to Barco.

Turning insights into action

It’s about more than personal growth. Throughout the program, participants work on real Barco business challenges and present their recommendations to a Barco jury. The program is sponsored by CEO An Steegen, while members of the Corporate Leadership Team serve as mentors and participate in the final jury.

The connections built during the program often continue long after it ends, creating a network of leaders who keep learning from and supporting one another.

"Our goal is not to prepare leaders for one specific challenge," says Lien. "It's to help them develop the mindset and self-awareness needed to lead through whatever comes next."

About StreetwiZe

StreetwiZe is a learning and development company that organizes experiential leadership programs in refugee centers, juvenile detention centers, and mobile schools for street children. Its mission is simple: leadership is best learned by genuinely connecting with people who face extraordinary challenges every day.

For more than ten years, Barco has partnered with StreetwiZe, initially through keynote sessions and later through training programs, including leadership development initiatives. StreetwiZe is closely linked to Mobile School, a social enterprise that develops mobile schools for street children around the world. Every euro StreetwiZe earns is reinvested into that mission.