Leadership and Strategy
What inspired you to pursue a career in human resources, and how has your journey shaped your leadership style?
I started my career at 18 as a PA to a very busy Registered Care Manager (Mary) who was responsible for over 200+ care and support staff. This role led to me working alongside her employees and my link into HR naturally evolved. Alongside my interest in people and organisational behaviour, Mary supported my career development, and I undertook a Level 3 CIPD foundation course which led me onto my two year post graduate Level 7 CIPD degree/diploma. I am hugely grateful to her support and encouragement, and she certainly was a key factor and in how my career shaped over the years.
My career to date has taught me the importance of empathy, adaptability, and that good communication is key when working with people on a daily basis.
My leadership style is always focused around building good solid working relationships, with my peers, colleagues and teams. My preference is to work collaboratively and follow a transparent approach by aligning our people strategies with business goals.
Can you share a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it?
In a previous role I worked on a company-wide 18-month long restructuring programme. It required balancing business sustainability with the compassion of employees. It was vital to prioritise clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and relevant support programs, and we navigated the transition while maintaining open communication during the consultation period. I learnt an awful lot about resilience in this time. The programme was complex due to the changes impacting people, their lives and their livelihoods.
Talent Management and Development
What are the key qualities you look for when hiring new employees?
As an aerospace defence company based in the UK – technical skills are high on our agenda. However, at Draken we prioritise our safety first, always. We must ensure that our employees and those joining the company have the right adaptability, emotional intelligence, and a growth mindset. It goes without saying that the cultural fit and alignment with our company’s values is so important for our long-term success.
What strategies do you use to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market?
The missions and sorties (air to air combat training with our military customers) make our organisation unique. Therefore, we pride ourselves on the multiple contracts we serve and different types of aircraft we operate and fly. Although we will have employees joining the company who may not physically come into direct contact with the aircraft as our Pilots or Engineers would, every employee has a direct impact in contributing to our aircraft being airborne. Whether you work in Finance, IT or HR each employee in turn supports our business goals.
How do you ensure continuous professional development for employees at all levels?
Alongside the regulatory and mandatory training our organisation operates under, we offer a variety of soft skills training (via LinkedIn Learning). To support employees within the organisation who are deemed ‘high potentials’ we have a 12-month long Leadership Talent Programme (Draken LTP) that provides a mix of formal training, mentorship, and working projects to develop our yearly cohort of between 12-15 employees.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
What initiatives have you implemented to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organisation?
At Draken we have our EDI committee group and are in the process of providing bespoke training across the company with the assistance of committee members linking this into Neurodiversity awareness.
What advice would you give to other HR leaders looking to improve their DEI strategies?
If you haven’t got the strategy 100% right it’s ok to reach out and see what other companies are doing and sharing those learnings.
Employee Engagement and Well-being
How do you keep employees engaged and motivated, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment?
We are a UK-based organisation spread across multiple sites, I therefore encourage and promote site visits to our bases on a regular basis to ensure our team maintains its relationships with key stakeholders and employees.
This year we have reinvigorated the Employee Reps group. A forum which allows representatives from all bases to meet with various members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to share ideas, provide feedback and/or voice their or colleagues’ concerns. This is a great opportunity for Draken and its employees to work collaboratively.
What strategies do you use to promote employee well-being and work-life balance?
We have a wide range of wellbeing offerings at Draken, including a company-wide fully confidential counsellor for employees to refer to as and when required.
We have a 24/7 Employee Assistance helpline offering over the phone support advice (legal and financial) for all our employees. We allow flexible working arrangements and working patterns to accommodate a variety of circumstances.
Leadership and Development
What are the key challenges in developing effective leadership within the organisation?
Identifying high-potential talent early and providing them with the right experience is a challenge. Balancing technical expertise with soft skills development is also critical for leadership success.
Crisis Management
What lessons did you learn from managing HR during a crisis?
Covid 19 springs to mind…
Transparency, empathy, and agility are essential. During crises, people look to HR for stability and guidance. We needed to build our own resilience and ensure we could provide what was required to the business.
Future Outlook
What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for the HR industry in the next five years?
Challenges include adapting to rapid technological change and evolving workforce expectations.
How is technology transforming the HR function, and how are you using it in your organisation?
Technology is enabling data-driven decisions, automation of routine tasks, and personalised employee experiences. We are working with AI to build data trends and analysis to better equip us and become more proactive.
What trends do you think will shape the future of work?
AI and the automation of work.
What advice would you give to aspiring HR professionals looking to advance their careers?
The best advice I was given was to always be a sponge. Never stop learning or being curious. I haven’t forgotten that advice and it’s something I think can be used in any profession.
I found value in journalling on difficult working events or situations. When you come back to read on them it’s never as bad as you felt in that moment and there is so much good you can take from a difficult or challenging time. We only grow from that.
What role does employer branding play in your talent acquisition strategy?
It’s key. A strong employer brand attracts top talent and sets expectations to potential future employees.
How do you stay ahead and updated in the field of HR?
I attend and am a member of a variety of HR networks, attending numerous conferences. It’s important to build and stay connected with peers and industry developments to equip me in my role as a HRVP.
