From the corridors of the European Parliament to her role as Managing Partner at Solvint, Joëlle Genbrugge has stayed authentic, accountable, and consistent. Her values, combined with her ability to take ownership and lead by example, have made her one of the most influential figures in the supply chain and procurement field. She is the leader who builds trust little by little, creates clarity in moments of uncertainty, and develops individuals into the best versions of themselves. Her impact on people and organizations outlasts her presence.
Joëlle has consistently proven that “real impact is not measured by what you build, but by what continues to grow without you.”
The Beginning: European Parliament
Joëlle began her career in the European Parliament. A young professional full of ambition, she felt a great sense of pride when she first stepped into this powerful institution. She was eager to make a direct impact on society and help shape the European legislation. However, the reality tempered some of her initial enthusiasm. She found herself in an environment where expectations were high but guidance was limited. Joëlle had to step up quickly and take ownership before she felt fully ready.
“I learned that leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating clarity in moments of uncertainty,” she says. “That experience shaped my instinct to act, take responsibility, and support others in doing the same.”
She now believes, “Leadership starts the moment you stop waiting to be told what to do.”
The Achievement: Picarus
Following her stint at the European Parliament, Joëlle’s career has been on an upward trajectory, with numerous achievements to her name. She is particularly proud of Picarus, which is part of Solvint Group. She played a key role in building and growing it as a new brand and team.
“It was not just about launching something new,” she says, “but about creating a clear identity, attracting the right people, and building trust, both within the team and with our clients.”
What matters most to Joëlle is the collective journey behind Picarus. She brought people together, created a shared ambition, and helped them grow in capability and confidence. She considers it a real achievement when individuals evolve, take ownership, and contribute to something bigger than themselves.
“Earning the trust of clients and turning that trust into long-term partnerships is a strong validation of that approach,” she says. “It shows that when you build the right team, with the right mindset, impact naturally follows.”
The Challenge: Leading Remotely
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, during full lockdown, Joëlle stepped into a new role as Senior Manager at Deloitte. She looks back at that time as one of the most challenging periods of her career.
Naturally sociable and someone who connects easily with people, Joëlle found it incredibly tough to build connections and relationships of trust. “Everything felt different,” she recalls. “I often caught myself thinking: ‘To know me is to love me… but you don’t know me yet.’”
Leading remotely, she had to build relationships, create trust, and find her place within the team. It required patience, consistency, and considerable perseverance.
Despite the distance, Joëlle succeeded in building a strong, connected, and high-performing team with real trust and a genuine sense of unity. “In the end, that experience became one of the things I am most proud of,” Joëlle says. “And even today, although we no longer work for the same company and our paths have evolved, we remain in close contact and continue to support one another.”
From this challenge, Joëlle learned that connection does not happen by default; it is something a leader builds, deliberately. She highlights, “Trust is something precious; you build it little by little, through every interaction.”
Managing Partner’s Long-Term Vision
Solvint offers tailor-made and integrated services covering all aspects of E2E Supply Chain: Procurement, Operations, In/Outbound Logistics, and End-2-End Planning.
As Managing Partner, Joëlle’s responsibility is not limited to achieving targets and making profits. She defines the direction of the firm and makes sure that direction lives in every step they take. “And that starts with leading by example,” she says.
She believes people don’t follow a vision because it is written somewhere, but they follow what they see every day. “What you do matters more than what you say,” she explains. “If we expect ownership, curiosity, and commitment from our teams, we have to demonstrate it ourselves, consistently and visibly.” So, she stays present, takes responsibility, and steps in when it matters.
Additionally, Joëlle points out that long-term vision demands the courage to think beyond what feels immediately achievable. According to her, it requires daring to dream big, not as an abstract ambition, but as a clear direction that challenges people to grow and take initiative.
At Solvint, Joëlle and her team strive to unlock tangible value across the entire supply chain, with a direct impact on their clients’ performance. She points out that ambition only works if it is translated into daily behavior, such as how one engages with clients, how one develops people, and how one creates an environment where people feel empowered to act.
Joëlle sees long-term vision as a discipline that has to be lived every single day. “People don’t follow a vision that is written on paper,” she says. “They follow the example of the leader.”
Staying Agile and Forward-Thinking
Agility is a necessity in the supply chain and procurement field. Joëlle notes that the current geopolitical context and its impact on global supply chains force them to constantly adapt, rethink, and anticipate.
At Solvint, they combine deep end-to-end supply chain expertise with a mindset of ownership and initiative. In addition to that, they challenge assumptions, explore alternative approaches, and encourage people to look beyond the obvious to find better solutions. “But agility is not something you achieve alone,” Joëlle points out.
To achieve that, they work closely with their clients, side by side, to navigate complexity and make the right decisions together. This partnership, Joëlle says, is essential to reach meaningful and sustainable results.
“In a world that keeps shifting, agility is not about reacting faster,” she adds, “it’s about thinking ahead and moving together.”
Additionally, Joëlle and her team continuously invest in knowledge and development, recognizing that staying forward-thinking is about anticipating what is coming next, not just reacting to it.
Non-Negotiable Personal Values
Authenticity is one of Joëlle’s non-negotiable values. She has seen how people quickly sense whether someone is genuine. “Trust is built or lost in those moments,” she says. She always tries to be her authentic self, even if that means losing short-term revenue.
Respect is another of Joëlle’s non-negotiable values. She calls it a form of elegance. According to her, it is expressed not just in how people behave or speak, but in how they listen, how they disagree, and how they treat others in moments of pressure. “Respect defines the way you lead,” she adds, “especially when it’s not easy.”
Other values she upholds are openness and accountability. “With clients, that means saying what needs to be said, not what is easy to say,” she says. “With teams, it means creating an environment where people feel safe to speak up and take initiative.”
Joëlle never compromises on her values to win. In her view, doing so means one has already lost. She firmly believes that, in the long run, staying true to one’s values always pays off.
“I will not compromise who I am to satisfy a colleague or a client,” Joëlle says. “I focus on building relationships based on trust and honesty. Strong relationships are not built on pleasing people, but on consistency and integrity.”
Insights into Procurement
Joëlle notes that procurement is no longer a support function, but a strategic partner at the heart of the organization. According to her, it sits at the intersection of operations, finance, and strategy, which gives it a unique position to connect different functions, break down silos, and create alignment across the organization. In that sense, she often compares procurement to the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring that all parts work together towards a common objective.
When used effectively, Joëlle points out, procurement is not only a lever for cost optimization but also for innovation, collaboration, and long-term value creation. It brings transversal thinking, challenges assumptions, and enables smarter decision-making across the business.
“Organizations that truly leverage procurement as a strategic partner unlock a higher level of performance and efficiency,” Joëlle says, “because they stop working in silos and start working as one.”
“Procurement is not there to control,” she adds, “it is there to connect, align, and create value.”
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Most leaders struggle to maintain work-life balance while managing the demands of a high-impact leadership role. For Joëlle, it is a fragile equilibrium that constantly evolves, depending on both professional demands and family life. Balance, she believes, comes from being present where it truly matters, especially for her children in the moments that matter most to them.
And those moments, she says, are not always the obvious ones, like school events. She remembers once joining her son’s class to pick up litter. “It may seem insignificant, but at that time, he was struggling with his confidence, and for him, it meant a lot that I was there,” she says. “That experience reminded me that being present is not about the big moments, but about the moments that matter to them.”
As she cannot always be physically present, Joëlle finds small, intentional ways to stay connected. When her children were younger, she would call them for five minutes after school so they could share their day while it was still fresh. Even today, she makes a short call in the morning. Joëlle also wants her children to see the positive side of hard work. She shares with them both the pressures and the fulfillment that come with sharing knowledge and creating impact.
Valuing Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Joëlle recalls working with leaders who were genuinely human. In the environment they created, she could grow, take ownership, and develop her skills. Because of those mentors, she is now a leader who values emotional intelligence and empathy.
She believes leadership starts with truly listening, not just to what is being said, but to what is behind it. “In our industry, our consultants are at the heart of everything we do,” she points out. “They are not just resources, they are people. And people perform at their best when they feel heard, respected, and understood.”
In Joëlle’s view, pushing people into situations that don’t align with their values or with who they are never leads to sustainable results. On the contrary, she says, when leaders take the time to understand their motivations, aspirations, concerns, and personal context, they create the conditions for them to thrive. “And when people thrive, performance follows,” she adds. “I would even say it accelerates significantly.”
Joëlle underscores, “You don’t get the best out of people by pushing them, you get it by understanding them.”
The Approach to Mentorship
Joëlle has benefited from formal coaches who provided structure, frameworks, and guidance. “But just as valuable were the informal moments,” she says, “conversations with colleagues or mentors over a coffee, sharing their perspective or giving advice that stayed with me long after.” Joëlle’s approach to mentorship is shaped by such experiences.
She does not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. She understands that each person has a different background, different ambitions, and different needs. That is why she tries to adapt her support to the individual, helping them grow in a way that truly fits who they are.
Joëlle cares about supporting junior consultants in their development. For her, seeing them gain confidence, develop their skills, and find their own path is incredibly rewarding. “I also believe that honest feedback is essential,” Joëlle says. Even when it is not easy, it is necessary.” She explains that growth does not come from avoiding difficult conversations, but from addressing them in a constructive and respectful way.
“One of my consultants once told me: ‘Feedback is a gift,’” Joëlle says. “That stayed with me, and it perfectly reflects how I see mentorship.”
Advice for Aspiring Leaders
Joëlle advises aspiring leaders in the procurement and supply chain field to stay curious, take ownership early, and remain hands-on. She points out that this field evolves constantly, driven by geopolitical shifts, innovation, and increasing complexity. For growth, they need to step forward, take responsibility, and be willing to learn, even before they feel fully ready.
“Stay close to reality,” is another piece of advice from Joëlle. She explains that procurement and supply chain are not just about strategy; they are about execution. Understanding how things work on the ground, how decisions impact operations, and how value is actually created, she says, will make aspiring leaders stronger and more credible.
And, as someone who has experienced impostor syndrome, Joëlle understands the importance of trusting one’s capabilities, even when doubt is present. “I would especially encourage young leaders, and women in particular, to believe in their value, to step forward, and to take their place with confidence,” she says.
