Global Human Resources Leader
Edward van Luinen, Ed D
Edward van Luinen has twenty years of successful leadership experience in global human resources specializing in talent strategy, organizational, leader and team development and learning. His experience includes global Fortune 100 and 500 companies (Express Scripts, Disney, Sony and Avon Products) and smaller, entrepreneurial companies (Heineken USA and DoubleClick) where he has served as head of function, a team leader and an individual contributor. In partnership with company senior management, Edward is a collaborative and results-oriented thought-leader and executor who has successfully created and aligned talent strategies and programs that expand organizational and team capacity; increase employee engagement; create a pipeline of new leaders; and build performance through skill development at all organizational levels. He holds numerous professional certifications that include strategic workforce planning, talent identification and development, and team and personal improvement. As for his current professional role, Edward is Senior Director of Executive, Leader and Talent Development at Express Scripts in St. Louis.
Edward received a Bachelor of Arts in French cum laude from Calvin College. Post college, he enrolled as a Volunteer in the United States Peace Corps, serving for two years in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa as a high school English teacher and rural health assistant. It is during his Peace Corps experience where Edward discovered his enduring passion and life focus: helping leaders be and do more. Following his overseas experience, Edward received a Peace Corps Fellowship for study at Columbia University Teachers College where he graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Arts degree in International Education Development. Following a span of twenty years in the corporate arena, he most recently obtained his doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University.
Cross-cultural studies, influencing and communications are Edward’s passions. He speaks Dutch, French, German and Spanish and had a successful expatriate assignment in Italy for one year as Head of Learning and Organizational Development for Avon Europe, Middle East and Africa where he was team leader to twelve local EMEA human resources generalists. During this one-year assignment, he worked in almost every European country and South Africa and Russia.
Edward is a successful public speaker and author. His national engagements have included speaking twice at the Human Capital Institute’s conferences, presenting a new and innovative model for employee development and engagement. In addition, he has spoken at the Association for Conflict Resolution Annual Conference. As for his publications, Edward collaborated with a colleague on a white paper entitled, “Is This a Good Fit?: The Connection Between Organizational Culture and Communication Styles”. Edward recently published a scholarly journal article entitled “Strategies for Cross-Cultural Virtual Team Leadership”.