Top Women Ineke Kooistra & Elbrich Batstra launch EliN Partners - Interview with MT/Sprout
Former YoungCapital Top Women are now searching for new leaders—for others
After years in the boardroom, Ineke Kooistra and Elbrich Batstra—former CEO and CHRO of YoungCapital—are now using their own executive search firm, Elin Partners, to help others find new leadership. Their goal? To spark a global movement of better leadership. “We look at why people want to follow someone.”
Photo: Elbrich Batstra (left) and Ineke Kooistra, former CHRO and CEO of YoungCapital.
By Wilke Wittebrood
April 30, 2025 | 3-minute read
Has she ever used an executive search firm herself? Kooistra laughs. “No,” she says. “Not really. There was some contact here and there, but I always built my own leadership teams. I hired people from my own network. Maybe that’s where the foundation was laid: I’ve always been able to quickly sense what kind of personality I need, and which type fits which role.”
That makes her new step less surprising. Kooistra, formerly CEO of staffing company YoungCapital (2013–2023) and secondment firm Circle8 (2023–2024), launched her own executive search firm in early April—Elin Partners—with business partner Elbrich Batstra. As mentioned earlier in her MT/Sprout column, the name is a blend of their first names. Elin is also a popular Scandinavian name meaning “shining light.” “That’s exactly how we see the future,” says Batstra. “Bright.”
Complementary forces
The two founders met at YoungCapital, where they worked together for ten years—Batstra as CHRO, Kooistra as CEO. They describe it as a rollercoaster: during that time, revenue grew from €60 million to €600 million, the internal team grew from 190 to 1,400 people—plus another 26,000 temps placed via YoungCapital.
It was clear early on how well they worked together. “We’re completely different, and that’s exactly why we complement each other,” says Batstra. “And not unimportant—we laugh a lot together.”
Batstra was the first to take the leap into entrepreneurship, founding the People & Business Boutique, an HR advisory firm in early 2024. Quickly, a common theme emerged in her projects: leadership. How do you deal with people? How do you inspire your team? How do you align different layers of management?
Another recurring request: did she know anyone to fill certain leadership vacancies? Not too surprising, Batstra says—after all, with YoungCapital, people were the product. She talked about it a lot with Kooistra. “We often call each other when we're driving. On one of those calls, she said: shouldn’t we do something with this?”
Focus on the how
That call led to the founding of Elin Partners—an executive search firm with a different approach. First of all, they don’t just look at resumes. “Most people focus on what someone has done,” says Batstra. “We focus on how they did it, and why others want to follow them. Lots of skills can be taught—but that can’t.”
How do they get that kind of insight? Through intensive, structured conversations. “The key is asking the right follow-up questions,” says Batstra. “That’s the only way to truly understand a candidate. How does someone behave in difficult situations, how do they feel about it, what was the impact of their actions? Are they proud of it—or do they regret it?”
This in-depth screening also helps make hiring managers more aware of their unconscious biases. “Like the halo or horn effect—judging someone more positively or negatively based on one trait. We can’t eliminate those biases entirely, but we can point them out.”
A breath of fresh air
Candidates appreciate the personalized approach. The founders want to challenge a deeply rooted issue in the sector: in executive search, who you know often seems to matter more than who you are. “There’s still a kind of old boys’ club vibe,” says Batstra. “It’s rarely transparent how positions get filled.”
Executive search is still very much a male-dominated field, Kooistra adds. “We might be the first firm led by two women. Not that we only work with women—on the contrary, more men than women are reaching out to us.” Have they placed anyone yet? Kooistra laughs: “Too early—we’ve only been open for a few weeks.”
Louder leaders vs. better leaders
Elin Partners also promotes empathic leadership. “Leadership that’s not about you, but about the people you lead,” says Batstra. “It’s about translating the team’s needs into actions that move the business forward.” Kooistra adds: “Your identity as a leader isn’t tied to your title or salary—it’s about who you are and what you mean to others.
That’s quite the contrast with some of today’s dominant global figures—Trump and others—who appear to serve no one but themselves. “Imagine a boardroom full of people like that,” says Batstra. “Dominant, loud leaders. The result is that others start mimicking that behavior instead of challenging it. Especially in uncertain times, people are less likely to speak up.
