I chose my BA ( European Studies ) because I was really interested in European History and politics and also loved French in school. I had no real career plan other than to do something in college that I was interested in, and I also got to spend my 3^rd year in France on an Erasmus programme which was a dream come true.

In work and life I try to play to my strengths – to do things that I am really interested in, that I can apply all my interests and passions to that I will find engaging and where I feel I can make a difference. I am an ‘accidental’ HR professional, but I truly love the breadth and variety of working in HR and being a creative problem solver!

Several of my family members are involved in Psychology / Psychotherapy / Counselling careers and I always found that really interesting – but I loved the side of Employment Law and Talent management that also came with HR so that helped me to choose my path.

I have also had some fabulous mentors during my career, and several suggested I should become an executive and leadership coach so I achieved that qualification as well and am thrilled that I did.

My job found me! I have a great network going back through my career of people and connections I have made, and as the company was looking for a HR leader a recruiter approached me and here I am!

My role is very varied, ranging from working with the Board and advising the executive leaders, to helping people leaders with resources, people challenges, recruitment and retention. I am very focused on Talent / Development / Inclusion and diversity and lastly in any HR role there is always routine work to be done in reviewing reports, updates and so on. Timing wise it can be pressurised when the unexpected crops up! We try to plan in advance as much as possible, but you also have to expect the unexpected.

Advising the Board and senior leaders on the people and culture strategy related to achieving business and commercial goals. Making sure that the organisation is set up for success with right people in right role, supporting people leaders with creating a great place to work and lastly supporting employees with issues and challenges they may face.

Most exciting and challenging things that I do are in relation to creative problem solving - figuring out how to stay ahead of what is coming - sometimes no planning can prepare you such as the last 16 months, but taking and applying learning and experiences, and collaborating with colleagues is really energising!

Creating programmes to support people to reach their potential is really exciting. I've devised programmes to support grads, interns, people with disabilities, women returning from maternity leave. A lot of new HR technology is available now so you can do really cool things to understand colleagues and their preferences the way we try to understand our customers.

Down in the weeds tasks - running reports over and over, or sometimes the nature of lastminute.com asks can be a real challenge!

Ability to form relationships, learn the business quickly and put myself in other peoples shoes.

I did my HR degree after I had been working for a few years and think that was a really good decision as I picked up so much more than if I had done it before having any work experience. I qualified as an Executive and Leadership Coach about 18 months ago and I really recommend that as a skillset and toolkit for anyone in my line of work.

BA in European Studies, MA in European Studies, BA in HRM, Postgraduate Diploma in Organisation Design.

My postgrad in Org. Design has been great, and really relevant and useful. My HR degree has been useful, but also a lot of the management and leadership development I have done in work have really benefited me as well

Championing inclusion and diversity and helping to make a real difference for colleagues is something I am very passionate about and proud of.

Ability to develop relationships, bringing a social and fun element to work has helped me enormously throughout my career.

I really love working in HR and would like to continue to grow in focus around Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership and Coaching. Of course, if I could do anything I wanted I would live in France somewhere between a vineyard and an art gallery.

I really love working in HR and would like to continue to grow in focus around Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership and Coaching. Of course, if I could do anything I wanted I would live in France somewhere between a vineyard and an art gallery.

I am passionate about helping people to bring their whole selves to work, and having their real needs met. I am a mother of three daughters, and am a huge advocate for women returning to work from maternity leave, having seen the barriers that exist in the workplace. That has made me even more committed to progressing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Working in HR has helped me to also have access to resources in work that I can apply outside work and help in community and volunteering organisations, as well as with my family. HR is not just about filling forms and checking boxes – it’s about solving problems, helping people to maximse their potential and I find this hugely fulfilling.

I have been very deliberate in choosing HR roles where I don’t have to travel as my children have grown up – I did a lot of travel when I had babies and made a conscious choice to step back from that because I wanted a different balance and HR is a very portable career where you can do that.

Think about your strengths – what is engaging and exciting for you and how can you pivot and continue learning throughout your career. Don’t try to fit a particular mould. I fell into HR – it was never my plan but over 20 years later I still learn something new every day.

Tenacity, ability to develop relationships, ability to communicate really well.

Laziness

I'm always learning. I would really like to study something in relation to digital leadership & transformation next!

Anything in a customer or colleague type of role where you learn the value of really good connections