The last year has undoubtedly meant that for a lot of companies, flexibility and adaptivity have been fundamental to their success and at Career Moves we are no different. The really brilliant thing is, in trying weather the storm, we found ourselves riding the wave and got to experience first-hand just how resourceful and determined we are as an organisation. Creativity, collaboration and knowledge lie at the very core of our values and we are always looking at how we can give back and just how we can enrich our network.
It therefore didn’t take us long to think about launching our very first HR in Tech Mentorship Programme. Each programme will have a different focus and our first cohort of mentees and mentors have all come from high growth tech startups. There is huge opportunity for career development and moving up the ladder quickly in this industry and it often suits people who can adapt to change at speed, wear many hats at once and learn on the job. Due to the fast-paced environment of the industry, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the job and think it is bigger than you are. This is why mentorship is key for those navigating roles with huge dependency because we learn from shared experience, knowledge and skill. Getting new insight and perspective from someone who has been in your shoes is essential to laying the foundations of a successful mentee and mentorship relationship.
Our mentorship programme is being run by L&D experts at ViLO Consulting, Founder Lorna Bainsand Associate Consultant Katie O’Hare. ViLO Consulting is known for super charging leaders and teams to out perform across businesses and are huge advocates of mentoring.
‘Mentoring connects people through shared experiences and values. This connection is probably needed now more than ever, with many staff having been disconnected from their jobs, their business and colleagues in the last 12 months through furlough, redundancy or remote working. It also facilitates a space to share and discuss approaches to tackling different challenges that we may face as we transition to our next normal’.
Katie O’Hare
Who are our mentors?
David Barker, Chief People Officer at Paddle.com
David is an experienced Human Resource Executive, People & Talent Director with a history of working in video games, technology, fintech, advertising, FMCG, sports and retail industries. He is skilled in business planning, career development, HR consulting, senior executive coaching and recruiting. A Human Resources & Talent professional he has a pragmatic approach to people management. David has worked with several US-headquartered businesses and has global experience, offering different insights and perspectives on other cultures.”
Nicole Jude, Chief People Office at Thought Machine
Nicole is Thought Machine’s Chief People Officer, leading the People and HR functions of the business. Nicole is deeply involved in the recruitment and training of experts in the company and ensuring global talent strategies meet the needs of the evolving business. Prior to joining Thought Machine, Nicole worked as the EMEA Head of HR and Global Business Partner at a SaaS company, leading them through exponential growth from 45 to 500 employees in just three years. She played a critical role in the integration of several EMEA acquisitions while being responsible for creating regional talent strategies and ensuring the EMEA team implemented these successfully. Nicole began her career at Bloomberg spending 16 years in various HR roles and leading HR teams to evolve company culture and develop employees. During this time she supported many businesses by designing and executing talent strategies. Nicole is passionate about talent management, employee engagement and employee development.
Simon Baker, the Talent Director at Cazoo
Simon is an expert within the internet industry. Through established brands, to dashing start-ups, across the last 8 years, he has specialised in innovative tech and internet businesses – adding to his 20 years’ HR experience across leading industries. Simon is leading the people agenda in fast growth, consumer obsessed, technology enabled businesses.
As an experienced founder and entrepreneur within the internet industry, Simon has built a career as an advisor, consultant, director, and investor to help business leaders, executives, and founders shape their vision knowing the importance of people and the possibilities they bring to any business.
Simon is passionate about talent management, employee engagement and employee development.
Rob Crowley, the HR Director at RateSetter
Rob Crowley is a HR Director with over 20 years’ experience who has a passion for learning, people engagement and making organisations great. Recently he has spent his career working with high growth FinTech’s who are disrupting their market space, including Nutmeg the digital Wealth Manager. Previously he has worked at Thomson Reuters, the Financial Times Group and Accenture. Rob has three young boys and enjoys sailing, football and being outdoors in the countryside, especially cycling along trails in the local ancient woodlands and surrounding areas. Rob is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Pearce Coggan Foundation, a charity which inspires disadvantaged young people to get active and connect with the country side and holds an Advisory Board role with the Partnering Partnership, a HR networking community.
Emma Rudd, the Global Head of People at Disguise
Emma hasover 15 years’ worth of experience leading HR across SMEs, large and global organisations including tech, software-as-a-service and business insight, as well as events & not-for-profit industries. Currently working as Global Head of People at disguise Technologies, winner of the Sunday Times World-First SME Export Track 100 and for Innovation at the European Business Awards. Emma possess’ outstanding consulting and analytical skills, providing empathy and understanding about the business/organisational and employment market context.
We are so excited to share with you our quarterly mentorship updates throughout the course of this year. To read Katie O’Hare’s article ‘The Power of Mentorship’ you can do so here.