When you talk to Crissy Rollan, you quickly realise her story isn’t about chasing titles or climbing ladders. It’s about restoring meaning to work and reminding leaders that people are, and always will be, the foundation of success. She built Qubel from two things: a deep belief in people and a desire to reimagine how organisations bring out their best. “When people grow, businesses do too, and that balance benefits everyone,” she shares.
But Qubel wasn’t born from a business plan or a boardroom discussion. “It came at a time when I was grieving, when life felt uncertain and I was searching for meaning. In that season, I rediscovered purpose.” What began as a personal journey became a mission to help others find alignment in their careers and workplaces. After years in global firms, Crissy saw how success was often measured by systems, not by stories. She wanted to change that.
Reclaiming the Human Side of Work
When Crissy moved back to the Philippines in 2017, she saw something missing. “Talented people were being overlooked not because they lacked skill, but because no one was guiding them through their own potential.” That realisation led to Qubel, a coaching-based ecosystem where recruitment isn’t just about hiring but about finding the right fit and helping people succeed once they’re there. “Our philosophy is simple. Everybody deserves a chance.”
Her approach, which she calls coach-based hiring, blends data and empathy in equal measure. “Data helps us see patterns, what’s measurable. But empathy helps us see people, what’s meaningful.” For Crissy, inclusion isn’t about campaigns or slogans. “Inclusive hiring isn’t about lowering the bar. It’s about widening the lens.”
To her, this isn’t just HR. It’s human work. She believes that growth doesn’t always start with a strategy but with safety. “When people feel safe, they grow. When leaders model that, teams thrive.”
Purpose, Resilience, and the Power of Real Conversations
Crissy’s path hasn’t been without challenges. “In big firms, success is measured by scale. In entrepreneurship, it’s measured by survival with purpose.” When Qubel grew quickly, she had to pause, rethink, and rebuild. “That can be exhausting, but it’s also humbling. Resilience isn’t just about strength. It’s about staying clear on your core, even as the form changes.”
That core — empathy, clarity, and purpose — also shows through her platform, CrissyTalksHR. “It was born from passion and perspective, a recognition that many workplace issues come not from bad people but from unspoken conversations.” Her goal is to normalise honest dialogue between employees, employers, and HR. “We’re not on opposing sides. We all want the same thing: fairness, growth, and dignity at work.”
Balance, for Crissy, comes from living with intention. “It’s not about work-life balance anymore. It’s about living with intention and grace in every role I play.” Whether she’s mentoring young leaders or spending time with her son, she brings the same principle to both: presence over perfection.
Seeing Heart Behind the Strategy
Looking ahead, Crissy envisions Qubel helping more organisations see people not as resources, but as multipliers of growth. Legacy, she says, isn’t about size. “It’s about the ripple effect — the number of organisations that choose to lead differently.”
As a judge at the 2025 HR Stars Awards Philippines, she carries that same perspective. “I look for heart behind the strategy. Numbers matter, but I want to see intent — what problem did this solve, and how did it change people’s experience at work?”
For Crissy Rollan, the future of HR isn’t about systems or metrics. It’s about meaning. “The best HR programs remind us that the heart of business is still people.”
