CPO Careers - with Kate Hughes

The HR Uprising Podcast

Lucinda is joined by Kate Hughes, the Chief People Officer at Seven Investment Management (7IM). Kate shares her journey over the past decade at 7IM, detailing the company's significant growth from 170 to over 600 employees and the evolution of its culture. She discusses the importance of establishing a strong organisational culture, engaging with employees to align values, and fostering an inclusive environment.

Kate also talks about her approach to HR, which combines strategic thinking with a focus on commercial acumen, and highlights the challenges and successes she has encountered, particularly in promoting gender equality within a traditionally male-dominated industry

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Open communication and transparency within the organisation foster trust and collaboration. Ensuring that all team members, regardless of their position, have access to the same information and opportunities is vital for a cohesive work environment.

• Understanding the business's commercial aspects is critical for HR professionals. Decisions should align with business outcomes, and HR should be seen as a valuable partner in achieving organisational goals rather than just a support function.

• Balancing emotion and logic is important in leadership roles. Knowing when to express emotions and when to remain composed can enhance decision-making and team dynamics. Preparation and clarity on desired outcomes are key to effective communication in challenging situations.

• Individuals should take ownership of their career paths by setting goals and seeking guidance from experienced colleagues. Proactively engaging in career development can lead to faster growth and a clearer understanding of personal aspirations.

BEST MOMENTS

"When I joined, as a small company... there aren't always the processes and systems in place. So that was really the first task was sort of managing that with the team."

"We realised that the culture that we had... we needed to put more attention on that, is what were the aspects of the culture we wanted to retain?"

"What we like is enthusiasm. I don't think you can teach or recreate... there has to be that sort of passion for what they do."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The HR Uprising Podcast | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher

The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group

How to Prioritise Self-Care (The HR Uprising)

How To Be A Change Superhero - by Lucinda Carney

HR Uprising Mastermind - https://hruprising.com/mastermind/

www.changesuperhero.com

www.hruprising.com

Get your copy of How To Be A Change Superhero by emailing at [e-mail]

Kate Hughes - https://www.7im.co.uk/7im-management-team/kate-hughes

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles and a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. It was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

CONTACT METHOD

HR Uprising

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Actus Software

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HR podcast, The HR Uprising, Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, Learning and Development, Culture & Change: https://hruprising.com/hr-podcasts/