What inspired you to pursue a career in human resources, and how has your journey shaped your leadership style?
I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between people and performance – how the right culture and leadership unlock potential. I was inspired by my 2-weeks of work experience where I spent 1 week at the local vets and 1 week in Sainsburys. It’s fair to say there was a little too much blood and guts at the vets and experiencing how people came together at Sainsburys as a team to ensure everything worked just as it should for the customer, and how motivated and engaged they were, sparked my lifelong passion for HR.
Early in my career, I learned the importance of empathy and adaptability, while later roles reinforced the need to align HR with strategic business outcomes. These experiences shaped my leadership style into one that is collaborative, approachable, and transparent. At Binks UK, even though I’m still new, I see my role as both a business partner and an advocate for our people.
Can you share a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced was leading restructuring programme in a previous organisation. It required difficult decisions while maintaining trust with employees. I overcame it by being transparent, engaging in honest conversations, and ensuring fairness throughout the process. Managing the process in a timely manner to provide certainty in uncertain times was also important to support people through life changing moments. That experience reinforced my belief that integrity and trust are the cornerstones of effective HR leadership.
How do you align HR strategies with the overall business goals of the company?
I start by gaining a deep understanding of the business strategy – its growth priorities, challenges, and talent requirements. Then I design HR initiatives that directly support those needs, whether that’s targeted recruitment, succession planning, or engagement programmes. At Binks UK, I’m focused on ensuring our people strategy enables innovation and growth while our culture transformation journey takes centre stage as we move ahead in one globally united direction.
Talent Management and Development
What are the key qualities you look for when hiring new employees?
Beyond technical expertise, I look for adaptability, problem-solving ability, cultural alignment and people who can enjoy a giggle as well (we all need to have fun at work)! People who collaborate well, embrace change, and have a growth mindset tend to thrive in dynamic organisations like ours.
What strategies do you use to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market?
Attraction begins with a strong employer brand and a clear employee value proposition. Flexibility, career development, and meaningful work are critical differentiators. Retention comes from ensuring employees feel valued, supported, and able to see a future with us – whether that’s through learning opportunities, wellbeing initiatives, or strong leadership with a clear direction.
How do you ensure continuous professional development for employees at all levels?
I believe in offering a mix of formal training, coaching, and on-the-job development opportunities. I’ve previously introduced apprenticeship and graduate schemes, leadership development programmes, upskilling of existing workforce through professional qualifications as well as implementing succession planning and stretch assignments to accelerate growth. At Binks UK, I’m keen to strengthen access to development resources and build a culture where learning is continuous and valued.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
What initiatives have you implemented to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organisation?
In previous organization, I’ve introduced inclusive recruitment practices, employee resource groups, and training to build awareness of unconscious bias and diversity, equity and inclusion. We’ve also held quarterly themed events to share more about specific topics requested by employees on themes that are meaningful to them. More importantly, I’ve worked to weave DEI into everyday leadership behaviours and decision-making, ensuring it becomes part of the organisational DNA rather than a standalone initiative.
What advice would you give to other HR leaders looking to improve their DEI strategies?
Start with listening – understand the lived experiences of your people. From there, set clear and measurable goals, hold leaders accountable, and embed inclusive practices into daily operations. DEI should feel authentic and ongoing, not just a campaign or a checklist.
Employee Engagement and Well-being
How do you keep employees engaged and motivated, especially in a remote or hybrid work environment?
Binks UK is not a hybrid/remote workplace; previous workplaces have been near fully remote and the key learnings from those would be: regular communication, recognition, and opportunities for collaboration. I also focused on creating belonging – making sure employees felt connected to the purpose of the business, felt they were part of a team heading in the same direction and were supported by leadership, regardless of where they work.
What strategies do you use to promote employee well-being and work-life balance?
For me, wellbeing is holistic. It includes flexible working, access to mental health support, wellness programmes, and leaders who role-model balance. At Binks UK, I aim to build on what’s already in place by ensuring wellbeing initiatives are both practical and embedded in culture.
Can you share an example of a successful employee engagement initiative?
In a previous role, I introduced quarterly employee forums where staff could speak directly with leadership. It gave people a genuine voice and shaped tangible improvements in culture and retention. That experience reinforced how powerful it is when employees feel heard; at one of my previous companies, I led the achievement to Silver Investors in People status taking employee engagement from below 50% to over 90%.
Leadership and Development
What are the key challenges in developing effective leadership within the organisation?
The biggest challenge is balancing technical expertise with people leadership. Many talented individuals are promoted for their skills, particularly historically and they need support to develop emotional intelligence, resilience, and coaching ability. Effective leadership development requires structured programmes and strong role modelling.
Crisis Management
What lessons did you learn from managing HR during a crisis?
I learned the absolute importance of timely, transparent communication and putting people’s wellbeing at the centre of decisions. It’s also important to be consistent with decision making particularly in a global company. Crises also showed me how valuable adaptability, scenario planning, and empathy are for keeping both people and business supported.
How do you prepare for potential future disruptions or economic downturns?
Preparation involves workforce flexibility, investment in technology, and equipping leaders with the skills to manage uncertainty. Scenario planning and open communication create resilience and give employees confidence in the organisation’s direction.
Future Outlook
What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for the HR industry in the next five years?
The challenges include skill shortages, managing changing expectations/working patterns, and meeting evolving employee expectations. The opportunities lie in harnessing technology – better systems, automating repetitive tasks to dedicate to more time and space to value add activities, using data to drive people decisions, and redesigning the employee experience to make work more meaningful.
How is technology transforming the HR function, and how are you using it in your organisation?
Technology – investment in systems and AI – is making HR more efficient and streamlined. For example, at Binks, we are focusing on system utilisation, how to get the most from our systems and how to leverage synergies to create a seamless employee experience from recruitment, engagement, learning etc.
What trends do you think will shape the future of work?
Flexibility, lifelong learning and a growth mindset, AI, and automation will all reshape jobs. Employees will increasingly seek collective and individual purpose and meaning in work, and so culture and experience will become even more pivotal.
What advice would you give to aspiring HR professionals looking to advance their careers?
Stay curious and adaptable, build a broad skillset, take opportunities to build a broad skillset and don’t be afraid to pivot and switch when required; never lose sight of empathy. Seek mentors, keep learning, have a growth mindset and understand the business you partner with to help identify ways in which you can best support them.
What role does employer branding play in your talent acquisition strategy?
It’s central – employer brand communicates who we are and why people should join us. A strong EVP helps us attract aligned talent, reduce turnover, and strengthen our reputation in the market.
How do you stay ahead and updated in the field of HR?
I keep connected through professional networks, industry groups, and continuous learning and of course being a CFIPD I utilise the research and trends shared via People Management magazine and online, and I learn a great deal by sharing knowledge with peers and colleagues across different industries in the local area.
