Q: Can you give an insight into your business from a people perspective? How many people are you employing and in what kind of roles? Where are you needing more people and skills?

A: At its core, Salute is a people business that happens to operate in data centres. Our success is built upon the expertise and commitment of our people. Today, we employ over 2500 people globally, with teams across North America, EMEA, and increasingly APAC, supporting clients in over 100 markets.

Our work spans the entire data centre lifecycle, from design and build, through commissioning and integration, to day-to-day operations, facilities management, smart hands support and decommissioning. This means our workforce includes everything from critical facilities technicians and engineers to commissioning specialists, project managers and operations leaders.

Right now, our strongest area of growth is in Europe. As demand for AI-driven and hyperscale data centre capacity continues to increase, the industry is facing a shortage of skilled technical talent. To meet this growing demand, we are continuing to expand our EMEA operations and are actively hiring critical facilities engineers, technicians and commissioning professionals across the region, while also maintaining strong growth across North America.

Q: How is your talent management strategy impacted by being a global company? Do you move talent around the world and is your business structured according to where the talent lies?

A: Being a global business shapes how we think about talent. We’re structured around the regions we support, across North America, EMEA and APAC, each with its own leadership team and local talent strategy. It’s an important approach because every market has different hiring practices, employment laws and technical accreditation requirements. 

At the same time, we operate as one global company with shared values, consistent standards, shared training and the same technology across our teams. 

That regional structure doesn’t mean talent stays static. While we focus on building strong local talent in every region, we also have the flexibility to move specialist expertise across borders when our clients or projects need it. For example, we’ve brought commissioning and engineering specialists from one region to support growth in another, particularly as we’ve expanded our footprint across Europe. 

So it’s less structured entirely around where talent lies and more that we build local depth in every region while keeping the ability to move specialist skills globally when it’s needed.

Right now, with the market evolving so quickly and growth accelerating in new regions, we’re seeing similar talent challenges wherever we operate. Our approach is never ‘one size fits all.’ We tailor our talent strategy to the specific challenges and demands of each region, ensuring we’re meeting both local needs and client expectations. 

Q: You look to military veterans for a proportion of your talent. How did this come about and what does it mean for recruitment/development of talent in the business?

A: This is actually where Salute began. When the company was founded in 2013, our leadership recognised something the industry had largely overlooked. Veterans leaving service and starting to transition into civilian careers already have hands-on experience operating complex mechanical, electrical, communications and critical systems. They also have the skillset and ability required to perform under pressure which are invaluable in the data centre industry. 

Rather than filtering candidates out because they did not have direct data centre experience, we built our recruitment and training model to recognise those transferable skills and help veterans transition into long term careers within the industry. 

Since then, we’ve hired, trained and placed several thousand veterans and military spouses globally, and that pipeline continues to grow. Through pathways like our Salute Military Community Pathway and our SkillBridge programme, supporting veterans remains a central part of how we recruit today. As we scale in EMEA, we’re applying the same model there, and plan to apply the same approach to other talent markets. I’m proud to help drive that work as our Armed Forces representative for Infrastructure Masons in the region.

This approach is a core part of our business strategy.

Generation is on a mission to change education to employment around the world.

We operate in 17 countries, and my remit is to oversee the global hub of the organisation. The organisation has been running for around 11 years now offering training and job placement to get people into work and to support careers that might otherwise be inaccessible for them. Since we were founded in 2015 we’ve seen 155,000 graduates from our programmes, 81% of graduates are placed within 3 months and our work has helped people generate around 2.5 billion dollars in wages. This is not just about running education programmes but understanding what happens to recipients of our programs *our alumni) in the years after they graduate – are they employed and can they meet their daily needs. We’ve found 73% attain a living wage or above.

I joined the team 5 years ago having already been working for an international company. Generation works 100% remotely – I’ve never met my boss in person. We have 95 colleagues across 23 countries so while it’s not a large head count it is very complex from a people perspective. I lead a global HR team based in USA and UK.

Managing a global workforce means making sure everything is equitable and that we’re listening to everyone.

When I started at Generation the organisation did not have the best set up for the kind of workplace it was. We therefore started to engage with Employer of Record (EOR) providers which made things more straight-forward and opened up the opportunities to attract more global talent. In some locations employees are directly employed by us, but in others it’s indirect. However we offer equitable employment opportunities, and everyone needs to feel engaged to the same extent. 

Recently we’ve been updating the global employee handbook, and we’ve needed to make sure that each employee location is aligned to local labor laws and all the other globally applicable elements of life at Generation.

we need to ensure what we’re doing in one place comes across in the same way somewhere else.”

Working in this type of fully remote global organisation means having to deal with a level of ambiguity around the world, but we just  roll up our sleeves and get on with it. Also because we’re in the not-for-profit sector we need to be creative in what we offer to our people and very focused on the things that matter to them whilst still driving forward our mission and creating impact.

As part of this we carry out pulse surveys among employees covering employee satisfaction and and wellbeing. We aim to do this twice a year and it means we can demonstrate how things are developing and changing each year. We track the results from our surveys and take action to create the best employee experience we can. With people located in many different countries we need to ensure what we’re doing in one place comes across in the same way somewhere else and our teams feel engaged and a valued part of our mission, not left out. 

If you want to create a unified global workforce you need to get the culture right.

We’ve worked hard to build and protect our culture. We are intentional about how we show up for one another, treat each other, and live our values.

In this piece Dr Sekidde is sharing his personal perspective based on his experience, rather than speaking on behalf of GSK.

Q: Please give us an example of a DEI initiative you’ve led.

A: I’ve worked on DEI across a few different contexts in the UK, the US and globally and in slightly different roles.

In the US, through my work with United States Pharmacopeia, I was involved in broader conversations around equity in healthcare systems and access, which gave me an external, system-level perspective.

In the UK, and more broadly within GSK, my focus has been on employee experience, culture and organisational change, particularly how you move DEI from something people talk about to something people actually feel in their day-to-day work.

From 2022 – 2025, I co-led EMBRACE, GSK’s global race and ethnicity Employee Resource Group (ERG). When I got involved, we were focused on scaling it from a relatively small network into a global platform for employee voice and practical change.

During that time, it grew from fewer than 5 chapters to over 20, with more than 3,000 members across 70 countries. But what mattered most to me wasn’t just the numbers. It was ensuring the ERG operated as more than just a community. We wanted it to be a reliable mechanism to surface issues, challenge things constructively, and connect the everyday employee experience directly into leadership conversations and decision-making.

Q: How did this project come about and how did you get involved?

A: For me, this work is personal. In Nov 2010, I was among a group of Harvard students who were kicked out of a Boston night club because we were Black. That was my inflection point, turning me into a vocal and visible social activist for racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, equity and inclusion.

I promised myself I would never stand by the wayside again.”

We had gone to party after the Harvard-Yale football game that day and the night club believed there were “too many Black students, which would attract local gangbangers”. Vindicating us several months later, a court later ruled that was racial stereotyping and fined the club. In those few months while we were waiting for the verdict, there were anecdotal reports that many Black students were deeply affected emotionally and psychologically and, in some cases, impacting our academic grades. Undeniably, this soured the Boston social experience for many of us who had come from outside. I promised myself I would never stand by the wayside again – I had to fight for diversity, equity and inclusion of anyone and everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or gender.

Q: Which skills are most important for your employees to develop at the moment?

A: What I am seeing is a clear shift in the skills that matter most, as the audit profession evolves in an increasingly AI-enabled and data-driven environment.

AI is transforming the profession, particularly for early-career professionals. Our teams are already using AI to automate routine tasks, freeing up time for more strategic, high-value work. This allows professionals to focus earlier on unlocking business insights and delving deeper into complex client issues, while continuing to show healthy skepticism. Recognising the pace of change, it’s important to have a continuous learning mindset coupled with key human-centric skills – our people will need to be resilient, self-motivated, and take both initiative and personal responsibility when it comes to working in an AI future. 

This shift is at the heart of our ongoing investment in audit technology and our recent announcement on the rollout of agentic AI, which reflects how we are redefining the audit experience by combining advanced technology with human capabilities at scale.

While AI is often perceived primarily as a tool for efficiency, its real impact is as a career accelerator. It enables faster upskilling, enhances analytical capabilities, and provides exposure to complex problem-solving earlier in careers. Ultimately, the most critical skills combine AI fluency, critical thinking, agility and human judgment, enabling auditors to deliver high-quality work that builds trust and confidence in capital markets.

Q: Does the demand for these skills reflect businesses’ need to be agile and fast-moving in today’s market?

A: Absolutely. Businesses today are navigating constant technological change, evolving regulation and increasing expectations from stakeholders. In this context, audit professionals are no longer focused solely on reviewing the past, they are expected to engage with complexity in real time and provide more forward-looking insights.

We are investing heavily in upskilling our more than 130,000 Assurance professionals globally, with a strong focus on AI, data and analytics.

This requires individuals who can embrace continuous learning, develop a curious mindset, adapt quickly and apply judgment in dynamic environments. This shift in skills demand reflects the evolving value of the audit and the transformation of the audit profession, moving beyond compliance checking to play a more strategic role in uncovering insights and value creation that supports decision-making and reinforces confidence in a rapidly changing landscape.

Q: How are you approaching technology and AI skills, and how are you investing in these areas to ensure employees can use new technologies effectively?

Everyone in your organisation deserves to access the learning and development they need to progress.

We created the The CEO Club to offer this support for anyone in the business who wanted to grow and develop in their role and in the business. CEO stands for coaching, empowerment and opportunity.

We created it for people who wanted to grow or develop in whatever way was good for them. Sometimes that means increasing their confidence, sometimes it means offering management or leadership skills. It’s open to anyone in the organisation but we were particularly thinking about our frontline workers who could feel they were overlooked or didn’t access our usual programmes.

The CEO Club offers a 12 month programme for 12 individuals. We match each of them with a senior manager to mentor them throughout the programme so the whole thing is personalised from the start.

While this programme certainly helped our people internally it also had to have an impact externally for them. I have a passion that we should be developing our peoples for their next job as well as the one they have so the programme is quite flexible and bespoke, keying into the kind of skills and interests they each have.

Learning and development can give anyone company knowledge and skills to do better.

When you work in a global, listed organisation serving blue-chip customers, ESG is not something you can treat as optional. It is a requirement. It’s expected by regulators, by investors, and by the markets in which we operate.

But ESG is not just about reporting. We need to be constantly looking forward – defining targets and tracking progress as well as publishing results. We also need to approach ESG as an integral part of business strategy, building a long-term direction that shapes how the organisation operates.

At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, our approach has been to treat ESG as a transformation, not a compliance exercise. That means integrating it into how we think about the business, how we manage people, and how we make decisions.

While environmental priorities are clearly important, my role as CHRO has been focused on the social and governance dimensions.

Building diversity into our hiring strategy

One of the simplest lessons I have learned is that diversity is not something you can fix later. It has to be embedded in your talent pipeline.

We operate across multiple countries, and our workforce reflects that. In some teams, you will find people from across Europe, USA, Asia and Africa working together. For us, the primary criterion has always been skills. We are open to talent from anywhere, and we actively look beyond geographic or cultural boundaries to bring the right skills and ambition into our business.

ESG is a journey.”

Like many organisations with a strong technical and manufacturing heritage, we have not yet reached the level of gender balance we would like. But we are making headway. For example, at the Andorra site of Tag Systems, a member of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, we have a mostly female leadership team and our COO is female too. To keep up the momentum for gender balance, we are actively encouraging more female candidates, ensuring visibility of opportunities, and being deliberate in how we build our leadership pipeline through our recruitment, selection and onboarding practices. We’re also taking a transparent approach to payment parity.

We’re focused on creating an environment where people feel included once they join us too. For us, that has meant embedding our values more deeply into the organisation. We are currently working to integrate those values into our performance management processes, so that inclusion is not just a statement, but something that is reinforced through how people are evaluated and developed.

Ethical technology and psychological safety

As an applied technology company, we are very aware that the way we use technology has human implications. AI is a powerful tool, but it can also create uncertainty for employees. People naturally ask: what does this mean for my role? Will technology replace me?

If you do not address those concerns directly, you risk damaging trust. That’s why our approach has been to make sure our team understands that we are using AI to improve processes, not to replace people. Proactive messaging and clarity are important because people need to feel that they are part of the transformation. We want to bring them with us on that journey, not risk them feeling left behind, and we can do that by helping people understand both the potential and the pitfalls.

What that looks like in practice is training programmes focused on responsible AI use, data privacy and governance awareness. In this way, we’re not just equipping our people for technical transformation, we’re also ensuring ethical culture is embedded in this brave new world.

Upskilling for the future

If there is one area where ESG, business performance and employee expectations all come together, it is skills.

If organisations do not invest in upskilling, they are not only putting their business at risk, but are also failing their people. At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS we have taken a structured approach to upskilling, introducing an online learning platform that offers both mandatory and optional training. Employees can follow defined learning paths, but they also have the flexibility to choose areas that are relevant to their own development and interests. This includes technical training, soft skills, and emerging topics such as AI and data-related capabilities.

We also encourage employees to participate in external conferences and industry events, so they can stay connected to broader market developments.

Upskilling is about more than productivity. When people feel that they are developing and gaining relevant skills with an organisation that is investing in their future, they become much more engaged. So, our investment in a training platform not only delivers the skills we need, but also the sustainable workforce that will help us drive growth and maximise the value of our human capital.

Governance only works if people understand and trust it

As a listed company, AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS has to operate within a strong governance framework, but governance is not just about compliance; it’s also about how fairly and consistently we manage our people.

One of our key priorities has been to strengthen this area through a more aligned and transparent performance management model, and we are currently developing a group-wide framework that will allow us to assess employees using consistent criteria across all regions.

the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.”

But designing a good model is only part of the challenge – getting the implementation right will be critical. That is why we are placing a strong emphasis on how the model is introduced through training and communication, with local HR and leadership teams in each market playing a key role in ensuring that the model is applied correctly and consistently.

We are also moving towards a fully digital system. This allows for greater transparency, better reporting and more effective oversight, ensuring that performance data is visible, measurable and actionable.

This much I know

ESG is a journey. We are still developing our long-term targets and refining our approach with systems in place to measure progress and a clear direction of travel. Our ESG journey at AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS is not being driven by a single function, but by a governance structure that brings together leadership at the highest level, including the CEO, CFO and myself. This ensures that our ESG priorities are aligned with our overall business strategy.

If I had to summarise what I have learned from our ESG transformation so far, it would be that the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.

Our ESG transformation is bringing together a framework for how we hire and develop people in ways that leverage value from diversity, build trust within our organisation and create a culture that supports both business performance and governance.

Ultimately, ESG is not a bolt on; it has to be built into an organisation as a culture and a strategy.

Companies often overlook their internal talent

Many companies tend to focus on hiring externally because it’s what they’ve always done, or they think it will bring fresh ideas and innovation. This can mean missing out on talented individuals and valuable ideas from people who already understand the business and culture.

Our EY Mobility Reimagined survey found that, in 2025, only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs. As employers face skills shortages and a competitive labour market, it’s a great time now more than ever before to look inwards for candidates and to offer reskilling opportunities to those who are already valued.

At EY, we’ve introduced AI-powered tools like My Career Hub to help uncover internal talent and make it easier for people to move into new roles. Users create a skills profile, market their qualifications and experiences, and identify gaps where they want to build competencies. For EY, the data enables us to manage and develop our workforce to deploy skills where we need them and to meet current and future market demands.

Organisations can identify the full potential of current employees, even if managers and employees may have fixed views about their role

It starts with changing how we think. At EY, we make efforts to encourage open career conversations anytime – not just during formal reviews. This helps us understand what people want out of their careers and how we can give it to them. We also help managers look beyond job titles to see transferable skills. Programs like NextGen Leadership and our Recruiter Academy support this, and we help our people to match people’s skills with new opportunities. 

only 52% of employers say it’s easy to find the required global talent to meet business needs

Instead of static roles, organisations can try offering new challenges or encouraging new experiences like rotations and secondments across teams, functions and even geographies to bring out the full potential of employees. An EY example is Mobility4U, our global mobility program where participants can work across cultures and borders. Eighty-four percent of assignees report a positive impact on their careers over the long-term, and those who have taken an assignment have a 24% higher promotion rate.

Learning and development can support internal recruitment

Traditional L&D often focuses on climbing the ladder in one area. At EY, we support sideways moves and cross-team growth. Our learning programs are tied to real roles and career paths, helping people build in-demand skills that lead to new opportunities. We also offer mentoring and stretch assignments to help people grow in different directions. 

The company’s sense of pride in their work is unquestionable, however, the business is also well aware of the challenges that exist in creating, managing and developing this workforce. 

Giving employees control and power

According to Moens one issue facing the sector is that workers do not have a good perspective on, or transparency around their career options. To some extent workers are simply putting their heads down and doing the job, and while SBM’s record for employee satisfaction is higher than the industry average, the business believed it could do better, not least in continuing to address the gender imbalance that pervades the industry.

In order to do this, the company decided to move away from the existing more paternalistic style towards something that offered the chance for an ‘adult to adult’ relationship between manager and employee, and across the company.

“We wanted our employees to be in the driving seat of their own careers,” explains Moens, “and to do do that we needed to have a dialogue about the competency and ability of each employee. Through that we could also define and measure the contribution of the employee to the company goals.”

Building a competency structure that works

The answer was to create a competency structure which covered every role within the business. Unsurprisingly, creating the framework alone took more than a year of work, redefining the architecture of how each role related to another, and then working with managers on the functional and behavioural competencies relating to each position.

Having completed that and made it accessible through the HR IT system the company is now engaging in the first self-assessments by employees. During these assessments the employee initially decides how they compare to each competency – are they ‘junior’ or ‘mastering’ the competency – and these self-assessments are then validated by their immediate managers. 

The competency structure has also enabled the business to create career paths within each job family.  There are now graphic representations – “Metro maps” – depicting career paths within the company giving employees a clear visualisation of where they currently are and where they can go.

A positive mind shift for employees

“The shift has moved our employees from asking ‘what do I need to do’ to being able to assess what they are capable of doing and how they can build on that,” says Moens. 

“With that information they can then make their best contribution to the overall business goal. We hope that this will support our position where no-one in the company just comes to work to get a pay check.

Over the last year, a number of major tech companies have scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. Our sector is already wrestling with a chronic skills shortage: by 2030, the industry could see a shortfall of 4.3 million workers, resulting in a substantial $449.7 billion in unrealised output. If data centre operators follow this trend of scaling back DEI commitments, we will deepen that shortage and slow the innovation the industry needs to manage the ever-evolving technology landscape and resultant customer demand. I have seen the progress DEI delivers; stepping away now would be a costly mistake.

DEI directly impacts business performance in tech infrastructure

The link between diversity and performance is especially clear in the technology sector. In data centres, where innovation and problem-solving drive success, having a diverse team allows for broader thinking and more adaptable responses to complex challenges. A 2023 McKinsey study showed that companies with a diverse workforce of women and ethnic minorities well represented in leadership, saw financial performance that was 39 per cent higher than companies lacking such diversity. It also showed that those in the top quartile for gender diversity were 21% more likely to experience above average profitability than their peers.

I’ve seen the importance of diversity first-hand. At Telehouse, when we have diverse teams working together, they challenge each other’s thinking, push boundaries and find solutions more quickly. The work we do here is complex, and the more diverse the perspectives, the better our ability to adapt and stay competitive.

Yet, as a sector, we’re still falling short. In the UK, women hold just 24% of tech roles, and ethnic minorities remain notably underrepresented. We simply cannot afford to ignore this gap, especially in an industry like ours.

The risks of scaling back programmes in the current climate

There’s a real risk that if we scale back our DEI initiatives, we’ll find ourselves with even fewer candidates to choose from. I also worry about the message it sends. Scaling back DEI now sends a signal that inclusion is negotiable – when it shouldn’t be.

When I first started in this industry 13 years ago, there were very few women in leadership or technical roles. Since then, we have made significant progress. Women are now managing directors, engineers, and technical leads, and they are driving change. But if we take a step backwards now, we risk undoing the gains we’ve made.

What a more inclusive data centre workforce could look like in practice

A workplace is a microcosm of the outside world: it reflects the same tensions, connections and challenges as those that exist in our lives beyond it. What is special about this microcosm is that it is one we can control. The issues we face in the outside world can be eliminated from our workplace. There are opportunities we can carve out with adequate resources including all stakeholders, at all levels within an organisation, everyone can contribute to a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. So what can that look like?

A: Employee engagement is really important for boosting productivity, improving retention, and keeping customers happy. Engaged employees are 2.5 times more likely to exceed performance objectives. They are more productive, have fewer absences, provide better customer service, remain with the business longer, and bring more creativity to the table.

This is especially important for us as a brand to stand out in the competitive retail and hospitality sectors, all while delivering top-notch experiences to over 50 million visitors each year. By focusing on employee engagement, we set ourselves apart in the market, improve service, and boost customer satisfaction, driving overall business success.

Our commitment to engagement hasn’t gone unnoticed as we’ve earned Platinum accreditation with Investors in People and a 3-Star Accreditation from Best Companies, showing our dedication to creating a positive work environment has made a difference. 

Q. How do you identify the areas where employees require support or would most benefit from initiatives?

A: At Roadchef, we use a variety of methods to understand where employees might need extra support. We actively listen to employee feedback and encourage suggestions to make improvements. This feedback helps shape initiatives that address specific needs. We also take part in the Best Companies to Work For programme, including the b-Heard survey, which provides valuable insights into engagement and areas we can improve.

To support financial wellbeing, we’ve got an interactive questionnaire in the PayCaptain app, giving personalised financial scores and advice. We keep an eye on turnover, particularly within the first 90 days, to spot any potential concerns early. Regular communication channels help ensure employee voices are always heard, and we hold annual Toolbox Talks to discuss initiatives and gather feedback.

Q. What initiatives have you introduced at Roadchef that are particularly effective, especially given your sector and workforce?

A: To support our employees, we’ve put in place a variety of initiatives focused on wellbeing, recognition, and engagement. Some key programmes include financial wellbeing support, like allowing our employees to access earned wages before payday, subsidised meals, community pantries, and interest-free hardship loans. We also run weekly activities to build a sense of community and boost both mental and physical health. Our commitment to sustainability shows through initiatives like the OnHand app, which encourages our teams to volunteer and reduce their carbon footprint. These efforts have made a real difference in our strong retention rates.

At Roadchef, one of our main priorities is making sure both our visitors and employees are treated with the utmost care and respect.