Getting promoted at work is not always straightforward. In this 28-minute episode, Alisa Patel, a VP of HR, talks candidly about what you need to do in order to be promotable, to learn about opportunities inside your company, and to effectively communicate your interest in the right way to the right people.

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About Alisa:

Alisa Patel is a strategic, people-focused HR executive with more than 20 years of experience leading human resources initiatives that drive both business performance and employee engagement. She currently serves as Vice President of Human Resources at Aalberts Surface Technologies, where she partners closely with senior leadership to shape workforce strategy, strengthen organizational development, and align HR practices with broader business goals.

Alisa is a certified SHRM-CP and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business Executive Program in Strategic HR Planning. She’s deeply committed to continuous learning and advancing excellence in the HR field.
Her experience spans employee relations, workforce planning, talent development, internal communications, and benefits strategy — all with a focus on building strong, inclusive, and high-performing workplace cultures.
At the core of her work, Alisa is passionate about empowering teams and creating people-first solutions that support long-term growth, productivity, and organizational success.

Aalberts is a global Dutch industrial technology company that designs and
manufactures specialized engineering systems and components used in
buildings, manufacturing, transportation, and semiconductor production.
Aalberts HQ is in Utrecht, Netherlands and the company was founded in 1975. Today the company employs over 13,000 people across multiple continents.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

>Connect with Alisa on LinkedIn
>Aalberts Surface Technologies

Thanks to Michael Gordon for editing this episode.

Brain Chatter, a podcast where we listen past the daily noise and explore topics at the intersection of leadership, workplace culture, profit, and sustainability.