Testimonial Jelena Stankovic bij HR Business Partner

At twenty-two, Jelena Stankovic started working as a store associate at Maxi, Ahold Delhaize’s local brand in Serbia. At the time, it was simply a fun first job alongside her studies, without a clearly defined plan for the future. Eighteen years later, she is still with the company – but no longer as a store associate. After many promotions, she now works as an HR Business Partner and is responsible for more than eleven hundred associates across more than one hundred sixty Maxi stores in Serbia. “I use my own experiences and the growth journey I’ve had within this company to show and support other people that they can grow here as well.”

Roots and growth

Formative years Due to family circumstances, I grew up with my grandmother. We didn’t have much, but she taught me the most important values in life: to be honest, to do good, and to believe that good things will always come back to you. Without her, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, and for that I will always be grateful.

Guided by grandmother That also meant my grandmother had a big influence on the choices I made, including my career. As a child, I loved painting and I was quite talented at it. When I was fifteen, I even had the opportunity to exhibit my paintings. My grandmother, however, was a traditional woman and didn’t see a future in becoming an artist, knowing how difficult it can be to make a living that way. Studying economics seemed like a much safer path. I followed her advice and chose to study economics at university.

Solid planning skills During my studies, I started working in a Maxi store. By the time I graduated in 2016, I had already become a store manager, and my career seemed to develop quite naturally. After getting married, I decided to continue my education, with my husband’s full support. It required careful planning: I worked whenever I had time off and often studied in the evenings and on weekends.

From store to strategy

Stepping into HR My curiosity about understanding people and business naturally led me to the field of HR, but several steps came before that. I progressed from cashier to accountant, then to supervisor, assistant store manager, and finally store manager, before moving into the role of Talent Acquisition Partner. That last step marked my transition from the store to our headquarters in Belgrade. Moving into HR opened up a whole new world beyond the store. It allowed me to work with colleagues across operations, HR, supply chain, and general management, giving me a much broader perspective on the business.

Key turning point The biggest momentum in my career so far came when I joined the taskforce Delhaize Serbia formed in 2022. That year, forty new stores were opening, requiring an astonishing four thousand new associates. The taskforce consisted of a team of store managers, and I was appointed as the lead. Every day, we visited busy locations in and around town, running promotions and encouraging people to join the company. That experience did two things: it completely pushed me out of my comfort zone and shaped me as a leader. I learned to make decisions quickly, guide people through challenging situations, and remain calm and in control at all times.

All about trust As an HR Business Partner, what fulfills me most is connecting my own experience with the associates in the company and supporting their growth. Having worked in their positions in the field myself, I understand what they deal with on a daily basis and the challenges they face. That understanding forms the foundation for relationships built on mutual trust, which I consider the key to success in this role.

Reaching everyone I am responsible for 163 stores, encompassing a total of 1,137 associates. Of course, it’s impossible to build a personal relationship with each of them, as much as I would like to. I try to reach them through the store managers and deputy store managers. I visit the stores weekly and hope that everyone knows they can always approach me directly if needed. My goal is to foster a culture and environment in every store and across the organization where people feel seen and heard.

Leading by example I am involved in projects aimed at helping associates learn and grow into new roles within the company. I work closely with store managers and deputy store managers, empowering them to lead their teams more effectively and focus on individual growth. By sharing my personal growth journey, I hope to inspire and motivate others.

Diversity in action There are so many amazing people working in our stores, and interacting with them is by far the part of my job I enjoy the most. I often say that the people in our stores reflect the diversity of all of Serbia – every type of person can be found here. That is fantastic, but from an HR perspective, it also presents a challenge: you have to approach each individual in the right way. What I love about this aspect of my work is also, at times, one of the biggest challenges of my role.

Learning at work… and at home

English every day There are many advantages to working in the HR team of an international organization. Collaborating with colleagues abroad has been a huge boost for my English. I’m certainly not fluent yet, but I work on improving every day. Not just at the office, but at home too: I make my husband and our two sons speak English with me. They speak much better than I do, and practicing with them helps me to make progress every single day.

Family first My family is my greatest joy and my everything. Having grown up only with my grandmother, I always dreamed of creating my own family. I met my husband when I was seventeen, in a café. Since then, we haven’t spent a single day apart. Every day, I feel grateful for the life and family we’ve built together.

Passing on values Now it’s my turn to pass on the same valuable life lessons to my sons that my grandmother taught me. What matters most to me is that they grow up to be good people – honest and fair, treating everyone with respect and kindness. When I look at them, I feel incredibly proud: they are becoming exactly the kind of ‘good’ people I hoped they would be.

Name: Jelena Stankovic (1985)

Started working at Delhaize Serbia: June 2008

Studied: Entrepreneurial Business, Union Nikola Tesla University (2016)

Living with: My husband Miki and our sons Andrija (20) and Vuk (15)

Wake me up in the middle of the night for: Anyone who needs my help. Once, as a store manager, I was woken by a call about a fire in my store. I got there as fast as I could. It was scary, but luckily the firemen managed to save most of it

Favorite holiday destination: Greece – we go there often and always try to explore a new part of the country

Life-changing event: Growing up with my grandmother, and meeting my husband. After that, my life took an amazing turn

Biggest source of inspiration: Connecting business needs with people’s strengths – finding the right match and helping both grow

Best advice: “Success is built on patience, hard work and honesty – everything else is short-lived”