Behind The Mask Community

Behind The Mask is a movement and community unmasking workplace stigmas and building human-first cultures. We challenge the idea of “bringing your whole self to work” by creating spaces where people can show up fully messy, vulnerable, and real especially around mental health, neurodiversity, inclusivity, and women’s health.

We connect HR, Talent, Culture leaders, and changemakers through curated events and honest conversations that spark meaningful change.

I partner with brands to create values-led experiences that build thought leadership and genuine relationships. I also facilitate strategic introductions within the community to drive lasting cultural change.

Founder

HIGHER Community

Chapter Lead for Amsterdam where we bring together our vibrant HLN community and connect with top talent acquisition leaders to share insights, spark innovation, and redefine the future of TA together.

11,000+ global talent members

Chapter Lead 

Protolabs

Hubs was acquired by Protolabs in 2021. As of January 2024, Hubs no longer exists, we are now operating fully under the Protolabs brand.

Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition, EMEA

Hubs

Senior Manager Talent Acquisition

Talent Acquisition Manager

Senior Recruiter

INDG

Lead Recruiter

Self-Employed

Talent Advisor/Consultant to Founders 2 x Tech start-ups

Talent Partner & Advisor

Teespring

Senior Recruiter (FTC)

Crowdmix

Head of Talent and People

Networkers International PLC

Networkers PLC is a recruitment agency. I was hired as their Global Delivery Manager (sourcing) 
Leading global team 50 FTE (Junior - Lead Sourcers)
10 direct reports, delivery leaders across London, China, South Africa, US, Mexico
KPIs on global sourcing deliverables, process and developing our global strategy
Leadership training and development 
Business development and key account management across EMEA.

Global Head of Resourcing

Sabatical leave

World Travels

Hi, I’m Marie.

I partner with brands and organisations to connect them with senior HR, Talent, and Culture leaders through curated events and community experiences grounded in shared values.

With 15+ years in Talent Acquisition, employer branding, and ERG leadership, I create spaces where people can show up fully messy, vulnerable, and real especially those navigating mental health, neurodiversity, and change.

Behind The Mask is my movement and platform dedicated to unmasking workplace stigmas and building human-first cultures. Through intimate events and trusted connections, I help brands build thought leadership, foster genuine relationships, and spark lasting culture change.

I also facilitate strategic introductions within my community to create new opportunities for collaboration.

If you want to have honest conversations with HR and Talent leaders, let’s talk.

Yesterday I finally pressed the GREEN button.

I soft launched our community platform.
I gave free access to the people who believed in the journey the dinner guests, the ones who referred others, gave feedback, wrote kind words.

And this morning I woke up to our very first paying member.

They had the option of free membership.
Instead, they said: “I want in.”

That kind of belief in what we’re building sticks with you.
It’s the same feeling as when someone books the very first dinner seat.

We have a community.
We have a platform.
And it all starts with one person who believes. 🚀

-- 

Want to become a member? Join the waitlist: https://lnkd.in/diKhTVzg

Marie Chaproniere

TA Leader | Connector & Founder, Behind The Mask | Curated Communities for HR & Culture Leaders | Unmasking Stigmas

WOW, what an evening! 

After nearly 2 months in Spain, I landed back in Amsterdam, swapped flip flops for boots, jumped on my bike, and cycled straight into the People & Culture Awards and what a homecoming it was.

250+ HR, TA & People leaders in one room, celebrating the humans who drive impact in our organisations. The energy was powerful.

From the opening by 7people ✨ and Personio, to the powerful keynote by Jacqueline van den Ende (who so refreshingly shared not only her wins, but also her leadership f’k ups and lessons), the night was all about honesty, impact, and community.

💛 Huge congratulations to the winners what an inspiring group of people shaping the future of work.

 💛 Massive respect to Ingeborg and everyone involved for pulling together a night like this takes real dedication and heart.

For me, the highlight was seeing so many familiar faces from the Behind The Mask Community blending with the wider HR & TA world. It reminded me why I love this work: connection, cross pollination, and the courage to show up as ourselves.

This night made an IMPACT and it feels like just the beginning. Big Thanks!

Guest Speaker Revealed!

We’re thrilled to share the guest for our final Unmasked Leaders Dinner of 2025: 

Sophie-Anne Onland TEDx speaker, DEI specialist, storyteller, and unstoppable force for impact.

Sophie-Anne turned what she once hid into her greatest strength, inspiring leaders to show up fully, authentically, and unmasked. We are so grateful she’s joining our table to share her story and spark conversations that matter.

Thank you, Sophie-Anne Onland, for being part of this community and helping us continue to unmask leadership.

----
This is our last Unmasked Leaders Dinner of 2025 before we open our exclusive senior People & Culture community a space for connecting and deeper work. 

DM or comment to hear about upcoming opportunities spaces are intentionally limited to keep the conversation intimate and transformative.

By September, I’ll be opening the doors to a new kind of community for HR & Culture leaders.

Intimate. Values-led. Focused on meaningful change.

Follow along the first announcements coming this week.

You don't want to miss it.

Last night, we gathered around a long table and listened to the powerful story of the incredible Sophie-Anne Onland. Her openness set the tone building the safety we needed to carry that energy through the rest of the evening.

Together, we unmasked.

We ate. We laughed. We cried.

20 brilliant, courageous, and wise women People & Culture leaders, founders, and changemakers showed up fully.

Some removed a mask for the first time in years. Others revealed, “this is what’s behind mine, and it’s simply too painful to take off” and that was okay too.

What I learnt last night: the system may often feel bigger than us, but we’ll never know what’s in our power until we have the courage to try and change it.

This is Behind The Mask Community a community where leaders come together to unmask, challenge, and lift one another.

There’s so much more to share, but for now, I’ll leave you with these tiny Polaroids from a big night.

Leaders, Behind The Mask. 🖤

I’m not interested in your quick fixes.
Your one-off wellness workshops.
Your wellbeing days that tick a box.

I’m not interested in the stories you tell yourself
about the ones who are “pretending to be sick,”
when really, they’re just trying to survive.

I’m not interested in the line:
*“We care about you, and think you should take redundancy leave to focus on your wellbeing.”*
That isn’t care.
That’s a dismissal masked as kindness.

Real care isn’t outsourcing pain,
or moving it quietly out of sight.
Real care is presence.
It’s curiosity.
It’s asking the uncomfortable questions
and staying long enough to hear the truth.

Because the reality:
Suicidal ideation happens.
It sits in your open-plan office,
joins the team call,
answers emails with a smile.

On Suicide Awareness Day,
don’t just roll out policies and programs.
Don’t use wellbeing as a shield for avoidance.
Ask. Listen. Stay. 

Because the one who may look "well" but the sparkle in her eyes has gone.
she might be the one barely holding on.

When I grew up, I wanted to perform.

I first took the role of a recruiter to give my life some structure and a consistent paycheck.

15 years later, I realised I’d found many creative outlets, but one thing I almost always kept hidden was my “past life.”

Taking down those masks reminds you of the creative inside you the artist, the performer.

Last year, I was bricking it over my first speaking event not just any stage, SOSU, and even more so to close it. 

Since then, it’s given me confidence, connection, a network, and a domino effect of opportunity.

This year, I’m back but with a twist.

We’re going Behind the Mask of a sourcer.

SOSU’s theme this year is Be Brave. Be Bold. Be Better.
 
In a time when we can absolutely be better, I want this moment to be one where for just a few minutes, you can take off the mask.

I’m calling for:

Poets
Artists
Creatives
Storytellers
Dancers

For those who need to self-express, those who need a little healing, and those who want to show up authentically.

SOSU: 8–9 October
Chosen performers get a free SOSU ticket (€675) 

DM me if you’re ready to show people what's under the mask, or tag someone who should.

The Biggest Learning From Hosting 5 Leadership Dinners 👇 

Over the past few months, we’ve welcomed more than 80+ People & Culture leaders across Amsterdam and Berlin to our Behind The Mask dinners.

The biggest learning? Leaders are craving spaces where they can drop the corporate mask and connect on a human level.

A consistent pattern emerged: leaders arrived nervous, uncertain, or guarded and left inspired, confident, and open. What shifted wasn’t performance or framework, but unmasking circles, shared stories, and honest conversations that reminded them they are not alone, and they don't have to be.

Key takeaways:

1. Authentic connection is more impactful than any leadership model.

2. Vulnerability builds resilience more effectively than “toughness.”

3. There is a growing demand for leadership wellbeing solutions: mental health platforms, mindful leadership tools, and support for grief and resilience.

As one leader put it:

 “Knowing you’re not alone as a leader is healing. You’re building something critical.”

 “Mandatory for leadership teams.” 

The message is clear: psychological safety and belonging are not nice-to-haves they are absolutely essential for the future of leadership.

More reflections and testimonials can be found here: behindthemask.info/home

I'm thrilled to have been invited to join the Workfully panel on 25th September 


Panel discussion on Personal Branding for People & Talent Leaders 👀 


If you attended their first event in Amsterdam in May then you know what an awesome community this is
 

Who's joining?

🚨 First speaker announcement for our next Amsterdam People & Talent Mixer 🚨

On September 25th, we’ll dive into one of the most urgent (and often avoided) topics in HR today: personal brand for People Leaders.

We’re kicking things off with Marie Chaproniere founder of Behind the Mask Community and a People leader with 15+ years in Talent Acquisition, employer branding, and ERG leadership.

Marie helps leaders cut through workplace stigmas — from mental health to neurodiversity — and redefine what authenticity really looks like. 
Her take: personal branding isn’t about polish, it’s about embracing the messy, imperfect journey that builds trust, connection, and lasting impact.

This session is part conversation, part live coaching designed to help People Leaders explore what it means to step into visibility with confidence and without losing their voice.

📍 Invite-only · Free to attend

 Apply for the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/d2EtmAw7

Ok LinkedIn that's enough facebookery for today.

Over and out.

What if HR & Culture leaders had a space to show up fully?

Messy. Vulnerable. Real.

A place for conversations that rarely happen anywhere else.

A place where connection leads to action.

Something’s coming…

"How do I say your name?"

The result: 👇 

Ft: Mahmoud Aly Ben Dowse 🤓 Libby Fox 🦊 Aleksandra Gurskaite Rebecca Taylor-Clarke Meghan Hennessy

#FRIDAYLEVITY

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