Welcome to the Leader’s Insights, a place where The Future, asks the simplest, yet, the most interesting questions to the executives of well-known companies, startups and innovators.
This time we talk with Elena Krutova, Chief HR Officer at Remedica and INSEAD Alumni.
Krutova is a seasoned HR professional with extensive experience in various global companies. She graduated from the State University of Management in Moscow with a degree in Human Resources and later obtained a Master of Science in International Human Resources Management from Kingston University in the UK. Recently, she completed an Executive Masters in Change at INSEAD, France.
Krutova has held significant roles in several notable companies. She began her career in HR positions at Kaspersky and IBM in Moscow. In 2018, she joined Exness, where she quickly rose through the ranks, ultimately becoming the Chief Administrative Officer. At Exness, she was responsible for overseeing People, Finance, Legal, Compliance, and Corporate Operations, significantly contributing to the company’s growth and operational success.
In April 2024, Krutova transitioned to Remedica, a pharmaceutical company based in Cyprus, as the Chief HR Officer. In her new role, she focuses on implementing best-in-class HR processes and tools, aiming to enhance business growth and build a robust company culture
Let’s see what Krutova has to say…
1. Do you remember your first day on the job as Chief HR Officer?
I remember the doubts and questions growing for myself. The new title or a new job does not change much immediately, but later it grows as a snowball with new problems, tasks and a-ha moments. Being first time appointed as a C-level executive felt the same way: I had many questions in my head.
Will I be successful the same way I was as an operational Head of HR? Will my team and colleagues see my strategic capabilities and will follow me? Should I start saying more “smart” things now, or should I listen more? And the most complicated – Who am I wanna be now as a leader?
All the questions on the first day of my being Chief HR Officer helped me to slow down, figure my way and follow my professional heart.
2. What is more difficult: being interviewed to join a team or doing the interviews yourself?
I have been doing job interviews almost all my life and can do them with my closed eyes. I have a structure in my head to follow (introduction – information about the role – “tell me your story” question – basic questions about achievements, career aspirations, plans – “what questions you may have to us” etc). I like talking to people and any interview I do is not only an obligation or job task but also a chance to get to know someone better.
Although you may think that being an interviewing professional, you will pass any job interview, usually going for interviews for a job is still a complicated task. A few months ago I changed my job to join Remedica and was stressed about how the interviews would go, if they liked me and how soon I could get a decision. Any job interview is also a great test of your knowledge, as we may think that we are perfect in our expertise, but others can have different perspectives.
3. What do you most value in your employees?
Aspirations and drive. My favorite question to my employees is “What is your career ambition?”. I like working with those who see no limits on their path because these people can go far and beyond any corporate boundaries.
I still remember that many years ago one of my junior colleagues told me that she wanted to become a Chief People Officer at Google, and I admitted it. Even if she does not achieve it, I am sure she will achieve something else incredible, because her aspirations are really big.
4. Which is a motto/quote you use in your work?
“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” It helps me to see the bigger picture, to make ethical but tough decisions and to be reasonable and fair. I will never compromise my honesty or integrity by doing something wrong. Being a strong, good person with moral obligations is something that I want to go through with all my life.
Over the last few years, I learnt to get more attached to my values, to focus more on important things and to look up to people with unquestionable talents and integrity. And seeing people behind any heroes always helps to remain sane in the hustle of the business world.
5. If you were back to the start, what would you advise yourself for a great career?
“Slow down, my darling, and enjoy the moments”, and this is the most common advice that I hear from all seasoned professionals. When we are young, we want to achieve everything fast and rush to burn ourselves out. There is no point in it if our career does not bring any joy and satisfaction. I wish I could spend a bit more time with my family when my daughter was young, I wish I invested more time into my INSEAD education, which was an incredible journey.
On the other hand, I do not regret that I put that pressure on myself when I was younger. Now I have huge experience with different industries, companies, countries and people, and I still enjoy doing my career the way it is.
6. How do you pump up your creativity?
I write. I love writing and it helps me to structure my thoughts, to put emphasis on what is important and to offload my stress on paper (instead of my friends or family, for sure they will not like it).
I use different styles: my blog, personal journal, drafts of different scientific papers, and the concept of free-writing when I just use colorful pens and write words in a beautiful way. Writing helps me to find new ideas and connect the pieces of thoughts that are in my head.
7. What is a talent you would like to have?
Music is my passion and I would love to play piano. In music, I feel the composition, the flow of emotions, the joy and the story. When I drive to work, I listen to classic music or electronic compositions, and it gives me inspiration for the whole day. When I hear piano pieces, I imagine myself sitting in a concert hall and my fingers are running between the piano keys.
Unfortunately, when I was young, I did not have such an opportunity to start playing the piano, and I was always told that I had no talent for it. However now, I believe that I can decide for myself what talents I have, and whatnot, and probably it is a good time to start playing piano.
8. How do you balance work and personal life?
I do not balance, I just live through it. Some days are more about work, some days I dedicate myself to my hobbies. It is really hard in the current business pace to balance anything, you just juggle two important elements of your life, adding their family obligations, your educational activities, hobbies and whatever else is important to me. My life is fluid and I want it to be this way. Thanks to my husband, we share home duties so I have more time for things that matter to me.
And, of course, I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. Seeing how my daughter is growing, I understand that time flies so fast. And any opportunity I have to spend together, I dedicate to her.
9. Your top five foods you like in Cyprus?
I love Cyprus thus I like almost anything you can find here: fish, souvla, fresh vegetables, sweets, nuts. I can eat my favorite Loukoumades, although it is too sweet for some, for me it is the best dessert ever.
When we go with my family to Cypriot taverns, we usually start with the village salad, then some meze, fish or meat, and of course deserts. And recently Cyprus wine became interesting and could be a fair competitor to wines from Greece or other countries.
10. Can you name your top five favourite places in Cyprus?
I am a countryside person and I love nature. So the first choice is always Kourion Archaeological Site, it is an amazingly beautiful place with lots of fresh air and numerous routes to follow. I like walking there, especially in spring, when there are flowers and green trees around. It helps to think and clear up your mind, and also to enjoy the historical heritage there.
Another great place that we love is Omodos, a very nice village, a great destination during the weekend. I like the atmosphere of history here and the sense of true Cyprus.
11. Which personality, throughout history, do you admire most?
It is a tough question as we now see only the images of people from the past, their pictures drawn by others and reflections someone wanted us to see. The history is written by the winners, and reality may be different now and the time when any person lived.
Although I do not have any specific names, I admire innovators, people with fresh ideas for their time, scientists, researchers, and authors with unique views. We live and build our body of knowledge about the world based on someone else’s views and discoveries. For example, Newton, Pascal, Einstein and others made a change for the world, we all should respect!
12. Who is your favourite author/book that helped your career?
Through my study in INSEAD, I had a chance to read almost all the books by INSEAD professor, Manfred Kets de Vries. During my studies for a Master’s in HR, I read one of his books for the first time. It was about toxic leadership and how to make organizational cultures healthiest. Ten years ago this concept was quite new in Russia. The way how deeply and thoroughly Manfred Kets de Vries researched the topic inspired me to look into it further.
And recently during the program Executive Master in Change, I had many opportunities to learn even more about the dark side of leadership that you can see in many companies, especially after COVID. I can recommend this professor to anyone who is looking for the answers about how healthy corporate cultures should operate, and how to fight the demons which every leader faces in their professional life.
13. Where would you advise our readers to go this summer?
Go home and spend time with your families. It does not matter what you do if you are with those who love you, and who you love. Time together is the only currency that at the end of the day, you will want to have on your bank account.
