Q: Please give a short guide to your career
A: Prior to HR, I initially considered a career in the performing arts and attended a school focused on that area. Following my studies, I decided to change direction. After travelling and exploring options and professional paths, I joined a software company in an administrative role. The business had lost its HR representative and I was looking to build a career. I put myself forward for the role and convinced the business that I could learn quickly and would commit to studying at night alongside completing all my existing duties, which enabled them to give me the opportunity. I then set my mind to completing the professional CIPD qualifications I needed to succeed.
After working in software for three years, I joined a contact centre where I was exposed to a high level of employee relations work in a very fast-paced environment.
I joined Dennis Eagle in 2009 as an HR Advisor, and that’s where I’ve been ever since. I never thought I would stay so long, but the company gave me a position where I’ve been able to develop professionally and personally, with the autonomy to shape a new function and effect real change. This has continued to challenge me for more than 16 years. I have had the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities, joining the Board in the role of HR Director in January 2024. At the same time, I also joined the Extended Board of our division of companies, Terberg Environmental, and started working with our international subsidiaries all over the globe.
Dennis Eagle was a team of 500 people when I joined the business and now we’ve doubled to over 1,000 employees, so I have seen a lot of growth and change in that time. I continue to build on my knowledge and skills, and recently completed a coaching qualification. For me, learning is never finished and I’m now considering my next learning goal.
Q: Please give us one or two stand-out achievements
A: At Dennis Eagle, we gained Silver status with Investors in People in 2022 and achieved this recognition again this year with even better scores, which was a really proud moment for us as a business. A lot of work, sustained commitment, and passion goes into achieving consistent and positive engagement results. This accreditation focuses on all elements of the employee journey, giving us impartial insights into our leadership culture, employee engagement, and continuous improvement practices. Where we are today is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and excellence in how we support, develop, and engage our teams, and we are continuing to reflect and improve, working towards achieving Gold in our next assessment.
We’ve also focused on mental health and wellbeing and were very early as a business to recognise the importance of Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) training. As a male-dominated traditional sector, it was important to us to start this open conversation around mental wellbeing and the importance of talking and reaching out for support, breaking down the stigma around mental health.
We embrace hybrid working, flexitime, and job sharing, all of which have made a difference to the work-life balance of our people.
As a result, we now have a cohort of MHFAs across our sites and Service Centres. We also rolled out mental health training for all our managers, have an employee assistance programme in place, and offer opportunities for occupational health support, counselling support, and general wellbeing check-ins. This includes internal events hosted around the business such as our Tea and Talk sessions that took place all over the UK to mark World Mental Health Day.
I am also proud of the flexible working environment we’ve introduced in the business. We embrace hybrid working, flexitime, and job sharing, all of which have made a difference to the work-life balance of our people. We are committed to considering how we can afford accessible working options for employees in all roles within the organisation. This is challenging in a manufacturing organisation but compressed hours, staggered shifts, job sharing, and flexible holidays can work when you make flexibility a priority.
Q: What attracted you to HR?
A: Truthfully, I totally fell into the world of HR. But I quickly realised how much I enjoy the people side of business and the variety that HR brings.
Listening to feedback and turning it into positive change is important to me, as is making sure our rewards and benefits feel fair and competitive. Most of all, I want to help create a workplace culture that people are proud to be part of. We spend a lot of time at work and that time needs to feel fulfilling, rewarding, and enjoyable.
Q: What is the most satisfying thing about working in HR?
A: I would say the most satisfying thing about HR is helping to develop and support the team. Giving people the right opportunities and the belief in themselves to grow is very rewarding. It’s particularly exciting to see this sort of growth in our apprentices; helping inspire the next generation to carry on the legacy skills so critical to our industry.
There’s also the other side of support which can happen on a more personal level. For example, if someone is struggling or needs to have their voice heard; we do whatever we can in HR to advocate for our employees. Our aim is always to do right by them and stand up for positive, impactful change.
Ultimately, it’s about balancing performance with purpose.
I often say HR is the conscience of the business, holding up a mirror and encouraging reflection. Every area of the organisation has its own technical, operational, or professional focus, and our role is to help achieve those shared goals while championing fairness, inclusion, and wellbeing, striving to build a culture where everyone feels valued. Ultimately, it’s about balancing performance with purpose, so success is shared by both the business and its people.
Q: What are the important challenges in your current role?
A: Finding the right technical skills is a significant challenge. In our sector, developing skills internally is critical, which is why we are prioritising apprenticeship programmes, technical training, and early careers outreach. Securing the next generation of talent passionate about sustaining UK manufacturing is essential to our long-term success. At the same time, we must adapt to the evolving workforce, embrace advancements such as AI, and maintain a strong focus on sustainability. Our vision is to create innovative refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) for safer, cleaner communities. To achieve this, we are committed to attracting, retaining, developing, and supporting the best people in the industry.
Q: What does success in HR look like to you?
A: Success for me in HR is building a culture of trust, integrity, vulnerability, and continuous learning, where employees feel safe to challenge the status quo and do their best every day to contribute towards a greater shared goal.
It is continual progress and meaningful, tangible improvements across the board that translate into real change and improved experiences for people. It’s looking back each year and seeing that we have come further than the year before.
Success is ever-changing because there is always something to develop and improve upon, a change to respond to, a risk to manage, an emerging trend or technology to embrace.
Q: You can change one thing about HR – what is it?
A: If I could change one thing about HR, it would be to strengthen the perception of HR as a strategic partner in driving business success. HR actively enables an organisation’s strategy, aligning talent, culture, and capability with business goals, and developing leaders who can inspire and deliver results. However, HR is often misunderstood, sometimes seen only as a compliance function because we often handle difficult situations. Changing this perception is essential, and it’s up to those of us in the profession to take responsibility for making that shift. We need to demonstrate our impact through meaningful data and analytics, making our contribution clear and tangible. Ultimately, HR is about enabling people and leaders to thrive so the business can thrive.
Q: Who are you outside of work?
A: Family is really important to me. I have two kids and outside of work a lot of my time is devoted to spending quality time with them. I love to cook and spend time unwinding in the kitchen at the weekends, coming up with plant-based alternatives to popular meals. I also try to stay active by doing a lot of walking, biking, sea swimming, and skiing in the winter, as well as exploring new places in our family campervan. Due to my early love of theatre and performing, I’m also a big fan of musicals and go to see shows as often as I can.
