Boomerang Interview with Iris Rusman
Written by: Els Oosthoek, October 2025
They left, grew, and came back: these are the stories of our boomerangs.
For Iris Rusman felt it as a natural step to return to return to Rvdb. “I have ever ever my career really shaped. It is a place where you quickly is growing, a lot teaches and in which people sincerely in you interested its. Then I heard about the new design of the senior IP-program, knew I right away: this fits at the phase where I “I’m in it now.”
Iris joined Rvdb in late 2018, shortly after completing her master’s degree and an internship at the housing authority Stadgenoot. “My younger sister had told me about Rvdb: ‘That’s really right up your alley.’ She was right. I thought it was a plus that you get to get to know so many different organizations in such a short time.”
Her first assignment got off to a good start even before the onboarding week was fully over. “Everyone said it would surely be difficult to find a new assignment in December, but I was able to get started right away.” After a few great assignments, she landed a job in 2020 at the IJsselland Hospital, where she started as a junior HR advisor—and almost immediately ended up on the crisis team.
“That was an intense but incredibly educational time. I was just starting my career as a business partner and had the opportunity to truly help shape the HR transition. In a hospital, you really notice how committed people are to one another. I learned to stand my ground, collaborate with doctors and lawyers, and get to know the HR field from every angle.”
After two years it began it at Iris to feel. “I would really move exercise, shift shift, shorter lines. A hospital is a wonderful, but also cumbersome organization.” She made the made to O My Bag, back then a fast-growing sustainable fashion startup. “I was the first permanent HR professional, in a team of seventeen. I have the basics placed: structure, processes, growth of 17 to 40 employees — and a substantial recruitment task. Great informative, but I missed did the back-and-forth and the development environment that I at Rvdb was .”
Then Ilse When I called her after five or six years to grab a cup of coffee, the seed was quickly planted. “She told me about Rvdb’s new structure, with a greater focus on senior professionals, customized development, and collaboration between offices. That really appealed to me. I immediately thought: if I’m ever going to go back, now is the time.”
The return felt familiar. “I saw old acquaintances again—the trainers, even a few people from my old peer support group. It really felt like coming home.” Still, she also noticed some changes. “Lunches used to be one big hustle and bustle; now they’re a bit calmer. What I really appreciate, though, is that people listen to us much more attentively. Communication is more personal—via WhatsApp, short updates, ‘reading with love.’ That helps you stay well connected.”
The School of HX She calls it a valuable innovation. “It offers more choice and depth, so you can decide for yourself what suits your stage of development. That aligns well with the diversity at Rvdb today.”
The decision to return turned out to be exactly the right one. “I’ve been given plenty of opportunities for growth again, both professionally and personally. The groups where knowledge sharing and coaching take place energize me. You don’t just learn from your assignments, but also from each other. That social circle of HR professionals is so valuable—a community where everyone helps each other grow.”
Returning to Rvdb wasn’t a step backward for Iris—it was actually a step forward. “I’ve learned a lot outside of Rvdb, but here I feel that combination of learning, sharing, and growing again. And that’s exactly what continues to make Rvdb so special.”
