About Me

I help to build better people systems, maximise your organisation’s potential, and to increase efficiency by improving relationships, communication, procedures, and systems.

My Story

Hello, I'm Diana Vermeul the founder and owner of HarmoniKon.

As an organizational ombudsperson my main goal is to create a socially safe and positive work environment by providing confidential, impartial problem-solving, and neutral independent resources. My work empowers individuals and organizations to overcome disputes, barriers, and conflicts that stand in the way of reaching their full potential.

A great reason why I chose to become an ombudsperson is that I know that silence does not imply a lack of opinion, it simply means you are not comfortable speaking up. Another reason is to provide an objective mirror to leaders in order to make the right decision.

As someone with a sociology, management and leadership background, I knew that effective communication and leadership, team spirit, encouragement, and conflict resolution were key components of any successful organization.

Over the years, I have honed my skills as a trainer, coach, and facilitator, and have become internationally experienced in conflict resolution and organizational ombuds work. As a native Hungarian speaker, my fluency in English and recent efforts to learn Dutch have allowed me to work with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. As a sociable and energetic person, I bring a systematic, enthusiastic, and result-driven approach to my work.

In my most recent role as an Outsourced Ombuds at HarmoniKon, I create socially safe organizations by surfacing workplace & employee conflicts, inappropriate behaviour, ineffective leadership, whistleblowing & compliance issues, systemic irregularity, and intercultural differences. Working as an Organizational Conflict Resolution Specialist at Business Excellent Solution, I provided organizational assessments and development for continuous improvement policies and processes. I also worked on various complex organizational conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, and personal individual coaching situations.

Prior to this, I served as an Ombudsperson for the Digital Research Game Association (DIGRA) worldwide, where with three other ombuds colleagues we implemented an ombuds program, policies, and processes and served the DIGRA community.

In collaboration with Concordia Organization and Management Development Kft. in Hungary, I analyzed internal workflows to optimize and clarify structures and templates. As a coach, I encouraged leaders to improve their leadership style through 360 Leadership Assessments.

As a Conflict Resolution Specialist Freelancer, I handled workplace-related conflict cases and guided individuals to deal directly with other parties. I also collected and analyzed data and facilitated group dynamics, mediating workplace-related cases during that time.

My experiences as a Business Office Manager, Logistic Assistant, and Office Manager have given me a well-rounded understanding of the inner workings of organizations, and I have always been a strong team player and problem-solver.

In addition to my professional experience, I have also dedicated myself to volunteer work with the International Ombuds Association as one of the Board Directors and the creation of the Hungarian Ombuds Association (SZOE), where I serve as a President. My passion for the field of organizational ombuds work has led me to pioneer and formalize the profession in Hungary, providing organizational ombuds foundation training and a mentor program for new ombuds professionals.