ne of the “Critical” aspects of an organization, or any
Ocommunity—is managing its necessary asset—its human resource. Humans are a social species that have evolved from being in small collective groups to living in large community clusters.
The social architecture in which we live has transformed from dwelling in simple packs as hunters to thriving in complex socioengineered communities. And it all boils down to the likeliness, belongingness of an individual and the empathetic connection towards their peers, which applies while living with any group or community.
As time passed on, many communities were formed all over the world. The ones who kept their members happy passed the test of time. Understanding this ethos of mutual living, it is important to consider that “When a social community follows a set of welldirected principles that suit the needs of all entities collectively, it is likely that it will not fall too soon.”
Well, every kingdom has its own downfall, and every era has its end date; what truly matters is the quality of time spent and how the group as a whole managed to gel together.
Let's take this malleable concept and zoom into a short period of sttime- the 21 century. This is a time when kingdoms have been translated to management, and communities are being referred to as teams. And, with the transformation of post-industrial society into a corporate takeover, the form of governance has changed to a mere system of out-written laws that have been accepted by a majority.
Furthering this trail, we are gushing through a time when human beings value their emotional intricacies as much as they value mental capabilities. And with this concept of “human touch” taking center stage, it has become important that a well-structured form of managing human behaviour is set in place inside every organization. Drawing parallels from the communities that our ancestors formed, the sustenance of a team depends on how well it runs- individually and collectively.
Today, in this modern era, the workplace attracts employees as it allows the creativity and intrinsic principles of an individual to bloom amid the organized chaos that is constantly buzzing around and courtesy in the demanding corporate environment.
To sum up the above discussion trail, the prospects of the right mental stability and varied emotional abilities are associated with working. That is the definition of an ideal workplace. A perfect office environment is formed by this basket of organizational traits placed into a plethora of inter and intracommunicative teams. Now comes the question, “Is there a dedicated task force to set these things in order?”
Well, the answer is yes; you may have been referring to this team as the Human Resource (HR) or Human Resource Management (HRM) team. While scanning the workplaces that have been successful in their businesses, as well as HR teams who have smashed the employee satisfaction parameters, we came across a number of organizations. A common trend I noticed during the process was the influence that a leader can have on the entire community, essentially- an entire organization. In this case, particularly, I found exceptional Human Resource leaders who have set a system in place with their tried and tested methods coupled with the ever-increasing needs of workforce management to form great teams. The best of the lot is here for you to see, learn, understand, and implement.
Without any further delay, As you might be intrigued and got encapsulated in a moment of gushing into such inspiring stories, flip the pages to view the gold standard of HR Leaders through this edition of Insights Success, “The 10 Most Influential HR Leaders To Follow 2022.” Happy Learning!
Abhishek Joshi Abhishek Joshi
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Abdulrahman Alsheail, Director General of Human Resource
Institute of Public Administration-Saudi Arabia my.gov.sa
Alexandra McGroarty, Managing Partner, Author & HR Consultant Christopher McCormick, Talent Development and Inclusion PartnerMcGroarty & Co.Consulting, LLC mcgroartyandco.com
IPA specializes in contributing to the administrative organization of government administration, giving advice on administrative problems presented to it by ministries and government agencies, and researching administration affairs and documenting cultural ties in the field of public administration.
McGroarty & Co. Consulng, LLC handles business needs ranging from HR to Project Management.
Jabbar Sardar, HR Director
Jon Dawson, Group Director of People Development
Laura Salvatore, Vice President of Human Capital
Marvin Rodriguez, Global HR Operations Head
Maninder Singh Founder
Gilead Sciences gilead.com
Gilead strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening diseases around the world.
BBC Studios Distribution Limited bbcstudios.com
Lore Group loregroup.com
Centurion Asset Management centurion.ca
BBC Studios is an unrivalled creator of, and investor in, the very best British programmes reaching audiences around the world. It is the principal commercial arm of the BBC, and it brings in around £200m annually to support the licence fee.
Lore Group is an international hospitality company that designs, transforms, manages and operates hotel and food and drink concepts in notable cities across Europe and the United States.
Centurion Asset Management Inc. is recognized as a leader in the Investment and Property Management industries providing quality investments and quality housing for all of its clients.
MiraMed stands as the premier global provider of business process outsourcing solutions to healthcare organizations nationwide MiraMed miramedgs.com
Nicole Martin, Founder and CEO Vaishali Batra, Global HR HeadManzeera Solutions manzeerasolutions.co.uk
Hrboost LLC hrboost.com
Manzeera provides a wide range of services such as ROI Optimiser, Knowledge Management, Digital workers, Realtime streaming analytics, 360-degree view, Data Lake acceleration, BI audit and strategy, and much more.
HRBoost, LLC is a Shared Services HR firm that provides highly qualified and experienced HR professionals.
Guardant Health guardanthealth.com
Guardant Health dedicated to helping patients at all stages of cancer live longer and healthier, through the power of blood tests and the data they unlock.
Christopher McCormick
Development and
We need to continue to have meaningful conversations that create connection and build trust. No “AI” is going to be able to replace that.
rom performing in "The King and I" at the age of 6
F to being one of the most influential leaders in the Human Resource sector today, Christopher McCormick has established himself as an example for many.
Despite being an out gay man in the 90s Corporate America, which was considered taboo, he discovered self-confidence and eventually learned how to be the best version of himself. When it comes to his professional career, being a Talent Development and Inclusion Partner at Gilead Sciences, he has successfully incorporated a growth mindset and neuroscience principles into management theories.
Some of Christopher's volunteer experiences include working as an Executive Chairman of a non-profit providing programmatic efforts to develop regional events and offers for organizations and businesses a way to connect and harness thought leadership and positively impacting the community. He has also led transformative learning programs that allow participants to explore new realms of potential and achieve new outcomes in the areas of their lives that matter most to them as a Seminar Leader at Landmark.
On an Expedition as a Professional Christopher began his professional career at the age of 6. He grew up doing professional theatre and studied it in college, eventually becoming a professional adult actor and started taking on corporate jobs to "really pay the bills."
While doing his corporate gigs, Christopher realized he had a lot of transferrable skills that added a ton of value to his workplace. He has become an Award-winning HR leader, and key thought partner to CEOs, Executive Leadership Teams, and Board of Directors with 20+ years of experience across top financial services, retail, technology, healthcare, and life science companies.
He is known for his strength in managing crossfunctional teams, influencing ability, and fostering diversity and employee development. He successfully brought growth mindset and neuroscience principles into management philosophies.
When you start working at such a young age, you gain experiences and perspectives along the way that are not the same as your peer group. Christopher was making money and hanging out with adults in the workplace for most of his childhood. He was directing shows and "telling adults" what to do by 16.
While all of that was valuable, when you enter a corporate job at an early age and with limited "corporate experience," he found it difficult to have people take his ideas, feedback, and input seriously. They would see him as an early in his career or a junior person. When really, he had likely been working professionally, albeit in a different industry, but working for as long as some of the more "senior" people had.
Christopher struggled earlier in his career to feel like he had a say or voice. Being a gay man in corporate America in the 90s was also a bit taboo; he covered a lot of his true self or his voice earlier on. It took him quite a long while to own his brand, his self-confidence, and find his voice.
"The great news is I did find it. It just took me a while. I've also had to forgive myself for not finding it as soon as I thought I should have," says Christopher.
Over the past year, Christopher has led the work to define and identify "Manager Effectiveness" to equip managers, drive inclusive behaviors, and hybrid working best practices.
Additionally, using agile and change management methodologies, he has led the work and benchmarking efforts to build the Return to Site guidance which continues to assess, monitor, and solve for the future of work and the employee experience at Gilead Sciences Inc.
Gilead is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades to create a healthier world for
Focus on gratitude for what you have and go live your life the best you can.
Through bold and transformative science, we are driving innovation that has the potential to become the next generation of lifechanging medicines.
innovative medicines to prevent and treat lifethreatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, headquarters in Foster City, California.
Gilead has promoted equity, particularly healthcare equity since the company brought its first therapies to the market. Through global partnerships, Gilead's medicines today reach millions of people in low- and middle-income countries worldwide. In the United States, Gilead has committed more than $100 million ®over ten years through the COMPASS Initiative to community organizations working to combat HIV in the U.S. South. In 2020, Gilead launched the Racial Equity Community Impact Fund to support organizations tackling racial inequities affecting Black communities across the United States.
G.Flex is a global framework of flexible work options and guiding principles that encourage more flexible ways of working. A balanced approach builds on their belief in the benefits of co-location while providing employees with more flexibility to work where and when they are at their best.
"My role is to ensure our People Managers are empowered to activate our G.Flex program and ensure they are providing an equitable option for all their employees. We also are focused on developing better hybrid ways of working so that no matter where you are or where you are working from, you feel included and valued to contribute your best," shares Christopher.
There is no doubt that Technology has played a critical role in their success as human beings and as organizations still able to contribute during a global pandemic. Technology is critical. At Gilead, they need it as an enabler in how they continue to innovate, streamline and be efficient in their work.
Christopher further expresses, "Technology doesn't replace human connection, though. And we need that now more than ever. We need to continue to have meaningful conversations that create connections and build trust. No
"AI" is going to be able to replace that. As leaders, we have to manage that delicate balance of when to use Technology and not let it use us."
According to Christopher, the hybrid will be the way they work going forward. He recently was on a call hosted by the NeuroLeadership Institute. Their study found, and he loosely quotes, "A third of the workforce preferred to be "in-person." A third preferred to work remotely. And the other third preferred to have a hybrid/flexible model."
The key insight they shared is that wherever each third preferred and got to operate from, that is where they were most productive. Christopher finds that fascinating.
"My goals in 2022 are to ensure we are embedding Inclusion & Diversity into everything we do, from redefining Talent and Careers to increasing manager effectiveness throughout the organization," said Christopher, "My longer-term goals are to continue to grow and develop as an HR professional. I'd love to be a CHRO within the next 5-10 years. I still have a lot I want to accomplish along the way."
According to Christopher, we all compare each other and try to find what others have and what we don't. Maybe it's a nice house, car, better relationship, cool job. Whatever it is, try asking yourself what they sacrificed to achieve that. Ask yourself what you can learn from them to get that or something similar and what changes you should make in yourself.
Christopher credits his friend Andy Storch for this one: "When you meet or see people who are doing things you want to do, instead of being envious, try asking yourself what you can learn from them and what you need to do to accomplish the same. And if you can't, focus on gratitude for what you have and go live your life the best you can.”
T churning. Saudi nationals, especially Saudi women, are joining the labor market at an unprecedented rate. There is also major policy reform in line with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Transformation Program, paving the way for increased hiring of local talent and making the market attractive for talented foreign expatriates.
he Saudi Arabia labor market is undergoing great
Hiring in such a meta-morphing job market while keeping track of the changing demands of employees, companies, and labor market policies is a monumental task. Amid this transformation, Abdulrahman Alsheail ,
The Director General of Human Resources at the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), is one of the HR leaders in the region.
Abdulrahman started as a Recruitment Officer at the IPA’s English Language Center before climbing the ranks to the Director General of Human Resources over ten years. He brought innovative approaches to recruitment, retention, compensation, benefits, training, policy development, and administration. This brought him recognition when he became a nominee at the CIPD’s HR Rising Star of the Year Award in 2019, received a special mention at the Best L&D Program awards in 2020, and The GOV HR Leader of the year in 2021.
As the Director General of HR at the IPA, Abdulrahman leads several projects that focus on developing its culture, structure, and capabilities to support the organization’s next growth stage, He also leads HR transformation projects.
The Saudi government established the Insti-tute of Public Administration (IPA) in 1961 to train civil service employees. Besides the goal was to train civil
service employees and to prepare them to practice their duties professionally. The IPA also provides consultations, solutions, research, and studies for the public sector in the region. Abdulrahman’s career began here as a faculty member and recruitment specialist who recruited English language teachers from the USA, Canada, and the UK to work in the country. He gained extensive experience as a recruiter. Later on, he was asked to establish and manage the strategic activities of IPA’s HR Development Department.
The biggest challenge as a leader proved to be the distinct lack of qualified talents with HR experience. Abdulrahman remembers, “ I handled these challenges by recruiting experienced calibers to work for the HR Development Department, and providing quality training to build the capacity of new HR staff. As a result, we became recognized by several prestigious international HR organizations.”
When Abdulrahman started working in HR, the concept of human resources was relatively new in the public sector in the Middle East. He translated several books and training courses into Arabic to spread knowledge about HR practices. Abdulrahman is a keynote speaker at conferences. He also participates in local events to spread awareness about HR topics. He has conducted many HR studies at the national and regional levels. He anticipates the ‘Gig Economy’ as the next biggest HR change.
“Businesses frequently use independent contractors for short-term projects and common temporary roles,” Abdulrahman says. “This will make companies and businesses depend more on freelancers. For example, I know an engineering consultation office in Riyadh that hired two engineers who reside in Cebu City in the Philippines for a full-time job.
This will affect HR work, and the HR departments should show awareness of cultural differences and international laws related to HR.”
Abdulrahman thinks that due to the changes in the market, there will be more focus on upskilling and
reskilling employees and virtual employee engagement. According to him, technology has a significant role in forming organizational culture and creating a cloud community of practice. Therefore, he says, “Data-driven HR will no longer be a luxury due to the digitizing of HR.”
Abdulrahman Alsheail Director General of Human Resource , Instiute of Public Administration,Saudi Arabia
The ‘Gig Economy’ is the next biggest HR change.
“
“
Values differ from one organization to another according to their activities and goals. However, Abdulrahman believes that every organization should have values of passion, integrity, teamwork, professionalism, accountability, commitment, self-learning, transparency, continuous improvement, and innovation. To identify work culture, he thinks, HR leaders must first understand the political, societal, cultural context, and the nature of the organization.
Abdulrahman expands on the topic– “A company’s culture needs to be aligned with the big cultural context. It’s often challenging to create a company’s culture that does not match society. For instance, I have seen a start-up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attempting to create a work culture resembling a start-up in San Francisco. This start-up failed because what motivates an employee working in a marketing company in Riyadh can be different from what motivates an employee working in a marketing company in San Francisco, Shanghai, or Mumbai.”
However, he does believe in a work culture that promotes values of discipline, commitment, and passion, while providing confidence and authority to employees and, most importantly, encouraging selflearning.
Abdulrahman advises young professionals venturing newly into HR to keep an open mind and accept cultural differences. He says, “The HR business is sensitive since HR personnel has access to information, issues, reports, and complaints that require confidentiality. However, I think HR professionals who can speak more than one language will have a broader perspective due to their access to different cultures.”
Additionally, he believes HR freshers must get a professional certificate from a prestigious entity and be
a member of professional HR organizations that would keep them updated on the latest trends in the field of HR.
here is an upheaval in workplaces today. People
Tand organizations are changing how they work by adopting a fully remote working model or choosing a hybrid working style. Organizations are changing their operational norms, and employees face new challenges in working in a virtual environment. The responsibility for handling this shift lies with HR leadership and managers across the globe. We at Insights Success came across one such leader Alexandra McGroarty Managing Partner, Author, and HR Consultant at McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC.
Alexandra is a veteran of the human resource industry. She has worked her way up HR Coordinator to VP of Global Human Resources before leaving the corporate sector to co-found her HR consulting firm in 2021. She went through some of the same struggles in transition that employees and organizations face today. That did little to stop her from leading McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC . McGroarty is concurrently pursuing a certificate in Corporate Sustainability Practices at Cornell, a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership, and recently launched her firstbook- Bridging the Gap: Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace.. As an accomplished HR consultant and savvy leader, Alexandra has used her ample expertise to lead at local and global levels in women's and LGBTQ+ colleague resource groups and as a sustainability representative for HR. Her considerable accomplishments were recognized when she was nominated for the 2021 HR Person of the Year Awards and the 2022 Ragan National Platinum HR Awards.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
I started my HR journey in healthcare. A former Director of mine recommended me for a position with DaVita, and I joined as an HR Coordinator, working my way up to HR Business Partner and HR Project Manager. From there, I spent time in Financial Services, and my most recent Corporate Role was VP of Global HR for Clarivate. In 2021, my husband and I decided to launch our own consulting firm, and since then, I have been leading the team at McGroarty & Co Consulting firm.
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
· Our mission is to help our clients achieve their goals by providing best-in-class Human Resources and Business consulting and solutions. We strive to be seen as valued people and partners to our clients
· We will undertake and deliver on any HR or business consulting project or objective we pursue while building long-lasting relationships
· Big firm expertise with small firm value.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the HR Consulting niche through your expertise in the market.
I recently published my first book- Bridging the Gap, Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace, and I am a Certified Professional Coach and Certified Diversity Professional. I strive to be seen as a coach and Diversity strategist in our local market.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
We are a small firm with big firm expertise. Family values and a fun but professional corporate culture drive our team forward.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
It is vital to stay up to date on the newest HR and Employee Experience technologies. AI is quickly driving our sector forward, and being able to advise clients on top resources is key.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the HR Consulting sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
Roe vs. Wade has had a huge impact on the employee experience. Continuing to support our clients through
our diverse knowledge coupled with HR experience will be key.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for McGroarty & Co. Consulting, LLC?
We are looking to continue to grow and be a leader in our market – my hope is that in the next three years, McGroarty & Co Consulting will continue to be a leader in the HR space, especially in our hometown market.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the HR Consulting sector?
Network, network, network. Join your local chamber of commerce- we have built many solid and impactful relationships there. Always be learning and coaching others that are trying to come up as well.
The success of any organization is dependent on the staff within it. The HR service plays an essential role in delivering this and it sets the tone for the organization's functionality. HR leaders play a valuable role in improving the workforce and creating a most conducive culture to delivering superior business performance. As an HR Director for BBC Studios, Jabbar Sardar oversees all HR activity to support the business strategy. Jabbar emphasizes and focuses on creating efficient and inclusive workplaces.
In an interview with CIO Look, Jabbar Sardar shares his journey, aspirations, and how he is contributing as an HR leader at BBC Studios.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at BBC. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
My career journey reflects my personal journey and has been built on dismantling stereotypes and mindsets as barriers to breaking into a sector, and using the influence I hold to implement change.
My priority has always been clear – provide the business with the tools to be competitive and efficient AND inclusive, culturally confident, and welcoming. Workplace culture is never static, and in HR, we need to ensure it is constantly evolving, improving, and meeting the highest standards.
Tell us something more about BBC and its mission and vision.
The BBC has a clear mission – to inform, educate and entertain – and clear values about how we expect all our employees, and anyone who works with us, to behave. We are committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable workplace culture, reflecting our audiences across the UK and globally, connecting with new generations and perspectives, and respecting our planet.
We are committed to maintaining a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable workplace culture; reflecting our audiences across the UK and globally; connecting with new generations and perspectives; and respecting our planet.
As the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Studios has an ambitious growth strategy that will be driven by an equally ambitious people and culture strategy, which I'm leading. We already have over 6,000 staff and freelancers operating in 16 countries, producing over 2,000 hours of output per year. A world-class business with bold growth ambitions needs a world-class working culture, and our mission is to be in the upper quartile for wellbeing, leadership, inclusion, and performance.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted HR through your expertise in the market.
A few years ago, BBC Studios and BBC Content de-merged from BBC Television (now BBC Content), and in 2017 the teams from our Distribution business (then BBC Worldwide) merged with BBC Studios to create a single commercial entity. I directed both major change programs, enabling the teams involved to build a new commercial culture that has workforce wellbeing and career development. I've worked closely with the former CEO (now BBC Director-General) and the new BBC Studios CEO to ensure their senior leadership teams create and model an honest and effective performance culture, which both nurtures success and challenges everyone at every level when necessary.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
As an HR leader, my priority is to ensure technological advancements are leveraged to improve workforce culture, remove the fear of - and instill enthusiasm forchange. Like most businesses, pre-pandemic, we had not been seriously looking at the future of the workplace and the possibilities offered by technology to create a truly hybrid, mobile, flexible (and happier) workforce. The pandemic forced us to meet an eradefining challenge.
My HR team worked with the Studios executive swiftly and confidently to build a spirit of collective resilience, flexibility, and kindness. A company-wide strategy known as Putting People First really kicked in during those first months, and this has had a lasting effect.
The staff tells us in increasing numbers that they feel respected and supported and that we have enabled them to do their best work by harnessing all the tools at their disposal, technological and otherwise.
What change would you like to bring to the HR Operations if given a chance?
I believe creating a truly inclusive and diverse workforce should be our number one priority. We are making great progress at BBC Studios, but I want us to go further and faster. Any workplace needs to reflect the make-up and aspirations of our society. Career choices and possibilities should be free, fair, and accessible to all. I'm very proud of our success in BBC Studios, and although we're not there yet, our achievements so far include the introduction of inclusive leadership training, the creation of diverse talent pools, and concrete support for staff networks championing diversity of our workforce.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the HR sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
So many sectors and industries are now faced with structural and financial challenges which will necessitate a revolution in how HR makes a difference. At BBC Studios, we know we're at our most effective and powerful when we enable and empower, when we see the long-term big picture and the strategic plan, and understand our role in how to help a business grow, change, and in some cases reinvent itself.
We must move away from the misconception of HR as a service provider. HR is about bringing out the very best in people. It is not the department that tells you what you can and can't do – it needs to be at the top table as a trusted guide, critical friend, and strategic partner. Ultimately, creating an organization where leaders are empowered and accountable for making the people's decisions to drive business performance and people development.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for BBC?
I would like to look back in a few years' time and be proud of what my team achieved to position BBC Studios as a world-beating content giant with a brand that is trusted and admired the world over.
Personally, I want to continue making a difference at every level as an HR professional, HR Director, and leader. That means encouraging, in turn, the next generation of HR leaders to encourage the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and role models, in every sector.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?
Understand the power of clear and inclusive communication. Don't be afraid of failure – learn from things that don't go as planned. Don't tolerate bad behavior at any level. Breathe and reflect before making decisions – even if you only have minutes, rather than days, to pause. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. And remember that you, and all your team, are also consumers or members of the audience. Use that to your advantage.
Cloud technology is helping to drive Industry 4.0 transformation in many ways. It can offload data center costs, ease systems integration, and provide a cost-effective approach to scaling resources and infrastructure requirements. Interestingly, there has been a new benefit that is gaining more attention as we emerge to a “post-COVID” world. When some or all of your company’s workforce is working remotely supporting customers working from anywhere, the importance of your software being hosted in a local datacenter matters less – keeping everything else at par.
Of course, maintaining application updates, managing role-based access, and maintaining data integrity remain of utmost importance. Provided these maintenance tasks can continue to be provided acceptably, the concept of what it means to “locally” host your systems infrastructure becomes less of a concern. The definition of “local” has forever changed.
This shift in defining local work could be classified as one of the unexpected outcomes of going through a global pandemic. Industry research supports this shift, showing that 94% of all enterprises already use a Cloud service in some form. New investment in this technology only further reinforces this trend is not slowing down.
But it’s not all about technology. Cloud solutions are also addressing the most traditional of concerns: staffing and workers. Today, there are millions of manufacturing jobs that cannot be filled, and many of those positions will likely remain unfilled. A recent study of 800 U.S.-based manufacturers concluded that these missing jobs could cost manufacturers $1 trillion by 2030.
At the same time, there has been a huge upswing in people working remotely. This trend was already underway before the pandemic, and it has only accelerated in the last two years. Across all industries, including manufacturing, we are now becoming accustomed to “work anywhere” operations.
The Cloud is a key technology enabler behind these trends. It augments human processes so that people can get more done with less effort. It helps manufacturers maintain--or even improve--their productivity when faced with a long-term staffing shortage.
Gartner has forecast that 51% of global knowledge workers will be remote by the end of 2021 – or more than half! This ranges from individual professionals working in their home offices to administrative teams from different locations monitoring servers and responding to increases and decreases in bandwidth and usage.
The trend is not limited to classic white-collar workers, either. It’s estimated that 32% of all employees worldwide will soon be working remotely, and this will include work that traditionally has required an on-site presence. For example, a forklift driver with Cloudenabled technology such as a VR headset and remote controls can now operate at multiple warehouses while working from home or a regional office. One skilled driver could work the morning in Asia and the afternoon in North America as the company requires, or even change locations several times an hour.
The Cloud has emerged as a great option to support this kind of systems infrastructure to provide this kind of global accessibility. It allows everyone with an
internet connection to participate in this new work environment. Applications can be readily accessed from anywhere while scaling quickly and easily, whenever needed. The pandemic has shown us that you never know what your business’s needs will look like a year from now, so the ability to quickly adapt to change is imperative.
Throughout the next decade, it will be harder than ever for manufacturers to find skilled people at all levels. It may be especially hard to find the workforce you need to successfully implement your digital transformation strategy.
How do you attract the people you want? Supporting remote workers is one way, and is fast becoming a requirement. What about on-site workers? No amount of automation will ever fully eliminate the need for some people to be on-site, so the cloud is just as important here, too. For example, Augmented Reality (AR) is best deployed in multiple factories via the Cloud because the application is so data-intensive. A private network with central storage will struggle to support the kind of bandwidth required. An edge computing environment that leverages the Cloud can easily support AR anywhere, along with providing local processing and data availability in real-time to both remote and on-site employees.
Those entering the workforce today were born into a technological world. They’re going to expect the best technology when they go to work, wherever that work is.
One reason that Cloud usage is growing so rapidly is the acceptance by companies that it is a secure platform for enterprise applications, even for manufacturers operating in highly regulated and compliance-driven industries. The top Cloud providers have advanced and layered security procedures that are continuously updated to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats. Furthermore, systems based in the Cloud are unlikely to be affected, at least for long, by physical threats such as natural disasters.
The fact is, Cloud solutions are often more reliable and secure than traditional in-house settings.
However, manufacturers should still vet their Cloud provider to ensure that robust security systems and procedures are in place. And critically, each enterprise must secure its networks and systems, especially in an organization with remote and far-flung operations. Your Cloud provider can only protect the data it receives; it is no replacement for internal, end-to-end security.
By 2025, it’s predicted that manufacturers will have reduced their operational costs by 25%, combining automation technologies with redesigned operational processes enabled by the Cloud. Much of this will have to do with making people more productive. It won’t only be about improving the way people work now, which is how we tend to think of technology. It will also be about changing the relationship between the organization and the people who work for it, and what it even means to work.
Many factors are driving digital transformation, but in the coming years, a lot will depend on how well manufacturers can create a new kind of workplace that is more mobile, more agile, and more productive than ever before. And they’ll need to make extensive use of the Cloud to do it.
Sung is an experienced technology architect and a published computer scientist. During his tenure at iBASEt, Sung played a key role in enhancing Solumina’s technology and exploring architecture experiments for future product directions. As the Chief Technology Officer, Sung leads iBASEt’s long-term technology vision and is responsible for the overall product architecture and infrastructure deployment profiles, focusing on open standards and integration technologies
By Sung Kim, CTO, iBASEt
People often say they leave lousy managers, but is it ever asked if those managers were given the support, skills, and information they needed to succeed? Managing employees takes time and demands certain skills. Many business owners lack competence in human resources.
The fundamental difficulty for every Chief People Officer is to figure out how to improve as people managers and leaders so that employee retention, performance, motivation, and engagement may all improve. The real winners are the managers who can give their employees what they want while also giving the company what it wants; they can provide solutions that benefit everyone.
One such manager is Jon Dawson, the Group Director of People Development at Lore Group, a multinational hospitality firm that creates, converts, manages, and operates hotel and food and beverage concepts in prominent European and American cities.
We at CIO Look approached Jon to give us his valuable insights about his achievements and challenges in this edition of "The 10 Most Influential HR Leaders To Follow, 2022."
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Lore Group. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
Prior to joining Lore Group in 2020, I led the Human Resources function and strategy through a significant redevelopment and relaunched the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London and One Hyde Park Residences, which operate within the luxury hotel and residence sectors. I also launched the London EDITION as the Director of Employee Experience and was part of the team that introduced the brand in New York and Miami.
A signi cant part of our identity is the pride we have in people - we endeavor to attract the best talent in hospitality to help deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests.
I started my career with Marriott International, and I am grateful for the strong foundation and opportunities Marriott provided me, including opening the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in 2010 in the role of HR Director. In my current role at Lore Group, I am the group's People & Development Director, responsible for the people strategy for the countries we own and operate hotels within. I was attracted to the group as it displays a start-up mentality with a desire to create more hotels as we continue to evolve.
Tell us something more about Lore Group and its mission and vision.
Lore Group is an international hospitality company that designs, transforms, manages, and operates hotel and food and
drink concepts in notable cities across Europe and the United States. Thoughtful design and interesting use of space are at the core of everything we do as a brand. Our portfolio includes Riggs Washington DC, Lyle Washington DC, Pulitzer Amsterdam, Sea Containers London, and the recently opened One Hundred Shoreditch. We strive to create storied hotels for the long term, both for our teams and our guests.
A significant part of our identity is the pride we have in people - we endeavor to attract the best talent in hospitality to help deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests. Property-wise, we look for unique
opportunities in major cities which we then bring to life by creating hotels that remain true to their architecture, design, and community.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted Hospitality through your expertise in the market.
As someone who is known for pushing boundaries and trying new things within both the people and hospitality professions, I'm fortunate that I work with a very inspirational CEO and fantastic teams both at our group office and within our hotels. I love the creative side of my job and working to inspire the next generation of hospitality professionals while attracting best-in-class talent to our teams.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
Thanks to technology, travelers and prospective guests now know more about a property prior to staying than they ever did before – in addition to leaving traditional reviews, guests can provide an honest view of hotels via their social media posts. Technology is hugely important to Lore Group; we recently created a new Technology Director role that focuses on ensuring technology is a key enabler for enhancing our guest and employee experience.
What change would you like to bring to the Hotel Operations if given a chance?
For the team at Lore, it would be a combination of a new city for us to open a hotel within and the ability to design and deliver an entirely new concept - something
that would shift the hospitality landscape in a city through design and product and guest experience. It would be the type of new hotel that becomes synonymous with the city's hospitality scene and has a mix of best-in-class, imaginative design, and strong F&B; ultimately, it would come down to our people. Without excellent people in our properties, we couldn't deliver the level of service for which we strive.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the Design sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
We are very much a design-driven group, so it's hugely important to us. Jacu Strauss, our Creative Director, and Caitriona O'Sullivan, our Design Director, work exceptionally well with their teams on the conception, design, and launch of new projects. Having the design function in-house means that their work continues post-launch, so our hotels are constantly evolving and being updated. They are not driven by trends; rather, they focus on doing what is best for any property in the long term, in addition to considering the location and the local community.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Lore Group?
As a relatively new group, a large part of our identity is the pride we have in our people - we always look to attract the best talent in the industry to help us deliver extraordinary experiences, and I look forward to leading this for the group in the long term. Our future goals are certainly to be an employer of choice for hospitality professionals and a go-to for travelers looking for unique experiences in some of the most vibrant cities in the world. Our people are at the center of everything we do at Lore Group, and this won't change as we continue to grow and evolve.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?
The world and workplace have seen significant changes post-pandemic; therefore, it's important to be open to change. Never be afraid to try something new, and you must always be prepared to work hard if you want to create long-term success.
What is your initial reaction when you are driving along a four-lane highway, and there’s a tractor-trailer next to you? Do you see smokestacks, diesel engines, and a massive machine spewing fumes into the air? Are you afraid of sharing the road with these massive vehicles?
If so, you need to move your perception into the 21st century. No longer are the tractor-trailers of the past even similar to what’s coming off the assembly line today. The trucking industry has embraced technology faster than many industries, but it’s not just about efficiency; it’s also about safety.
Step into the cab of a semi-tractor, and you’ll be amazed at the number of gauges, switches, and knobs. What you don’t see is an oversized steering wheel and two shifting gears connected to the floor.
In fact, the interior cab of today’s truck resembles your car more than you realize. First, the truck has been designed to be more ergonomically correct for all body sizes, which means women are now more comfortable in the driving seat than in the past. Look at the way the dash slopes to accommodate the view out the passenger’s side. Check out the pedals that are adjustable to better accommodate husband and wife teams when one is much taller than the other.
The creature comforts inside the cab include refrigerators, microwaves, more closet space, and often a porta-potty. Lighted cup holders and even 220 outlets in the sleeper berth make it more like home.
What you might not have realized is how clean today’s trucks operate. Due to EPA standards, many trucks actually leave the air cleaner than when it went into the engine. The addition of DEF, or diesel emission fluid, has created much cleaner exhaust.
The EPA Smart Way program also provides guidelines for fuel economy. From low rolling resistance tires to aerodynamic hood shields, trailer skirts, wheel covers, and “tails” on the back of the trailer, diesel fuel savings in the range of ten percent or more can be realized.
Today’s trucks are also safer than your grandfather’s rig. The opportunities are endless to provide technology to reduce driver error by relying on these devices. From personal safety to safety on the road, there are more opportunities to make our roads safer for all of us.
Lane departure warning equipment, anti-rollover devices, side guards, and speed monitors are all
becoming common additions to today’s trucks. Some carriers are now replacing mirrors with cameras, so the driver has a better view of the space around the 53foot trailer.
Personal safety is also a concern. Instead of experiencing worker’s comp claims from cranking dollies or pulling the hood open to inspect the engine, we now have devices that raise and lower the landing gear with the push of a button. There is hydraulics that opens the massive hood and even cameras the show whether your kingpin has been secured or not.
Add to all these technological advances the promise of autonomous trucks, and your tractor-trailer no longer looks like a mass of smoke and diesel fumes.
The technology removes much of the physical strength needed to operate a tractor-trailer in the past. This allows us to attract and keep more women as well as men who prefer a less physically demanding job. Even the burden of loading and unloading the cargo has been automated, and the responsibility has typically been transferred to the shipper and receiver instead of the driver.
The changes the industry is making will also help address the need for more drivers. The jobs are plentiful and offer a decent wage, but a shortage of qualified professional drivers continues. The advancements made in the area of technology not only make the trucks and the roads safer; it makes the job safer. Removing as much of the physical component also helps attract a wider range applicants.
The trucking industry has adopted advanced technology; not only to comply with government regulations but to reduce its footprint on our ecological resources as well as make the job much safer.
The next time you see a tractor-trailer alongside of you on the highway, consider how technology has created a new era of load delivery. These are not your grandfather’s trucks today.
onvincing a skeptical business leader that yourCwork matters and securing funding to open a new department is difficult.Laura Salvatore, Vice President of Human Capital at Centurion Asset Management, did that ten years ago. Standing before the management of Centurion, Laura persuaded them of the need for the Human Resources department and secured buy-in from them for new HR initiatives.
From Administrator to Vice President, Laura has seen Centurion grow from 50 to 300 employees, from $350 million to $6 billion in assets under management. She also acts as the Secretary to the Board of Trustees for Centurion Apartment REIT and Centurion Financial Trust. For her exceptional work, Laura has been nominated for multiple awards, most recently of which was HRD’s annual Global 100 in 2021. She was selected as one of the best and brightest leaders in the human resource sector from six markets – the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia-Pacific, and the UK.
Centurion Asset Management is one of Canada’s leading asset managers specializing in the real estate sector. They offer investors a diversified portfolio of multi-family residential apartment buildings, student housing residences, mortgages, real estate developments, and debt instruments. When Laura started here a decade ago, they had 50 employees and no Human Resources department. At the time, the business leaders couldn’t see the value that HR could bring to the organization. Laura overturned their
skepticism by measuring and analyzing their return on investment for each program she implemented.
Laura shares,“Once I could illustrate the positive impact on key success drivers such as employee engagement, job satisfaction, team morale, corporate culture and ultimately job productivity, it became that much less challenging to get management’s buy-in for future initiatives. Fast forward to today, and we have been able to build a successful team and culture here at Centurion, with the function of HR playing a critical role in helping to achieve overall strategic business objectives.”
A World Class Asset Manager Centurion aims to be a highly regarded, reputable, and multi-disciplinary alternative class asset manager. To that end, they have been focused on creating a strong corporate culture in their company – something that is not always found in the investment management industry. They regularly monitor the satisfaction of their employees and compare themselves not only against their own established benchmarks, but also to others in the industry.
Laura notes,“In doing this, we have been able to foster an incredibly strong corporate culture that is modeled from the top-down. We have empowered our employees to perform their best work, ensuring that they understand how their individual efforts directly contribute to the overall success of the business. This, in turn, has had a positive impact on the experience of our residents and our investors.”
Surrounding yourself with the right people and establishing a strong corporate culture from the beginning is what separates a great leader from the rest.
Laura Salvatore, Vice President, Human Capital Centurion Asset Management
Laura tells us how the workplace culture of Centurion is driven by the four values of Respect, Integrity, Simplicity, and Excellence. Respect is promoted in the company for Centurion’s communities, customers, and colleagues. Integrity is displayed in every action, and processes are simplified wherever possible. Lastly, all business leaders and employees commit to excellence in every possible way – making the company an excellent place to work, creating an excellent investment solution, and offering an excellent community for residents to call home.
“Over the years, we have developed a workplace culture where employees are recognized, rewarded, valued, and supported. They are provided with the tools to be successful in their roles not just now but into the future, with our hope being that they continue to grow as the organization does. Recent employee surveys indicate that Centurion’s organizational culture continues to improve (even during the pandemic), increasing from 4.2/5.0 in August of 2020 to 4.4/5.0 in June of 2022,”says Laura.
As the competition for top talent hiring has grown fiercer due to remote work possibilities, Centurion races ahead with its commitment to being the Employer of Choice. To that end, they focus on fostering a positive workplace culture. They were named as one of the best workplaces in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute for the second year in a row.
Laura describes how they ensured employees’ retention and happiness during the pandemic,“Throughout the pandemic, we learned from our weekly engagement surveys that employees were looking for a greater challenge as well as an opportunity to expand their existing skillsets and knowledge base.
To ensure that we could retain our top talent during the Great Resignation, we launched the Centurion Learning Academy.”
The online learning and development platform gave employees access to over 400 digital training modules, regardless of their physical location. They offered short, concise training modules that were easy to digest and
applicable in real-time. This benefited both the employee and the organization as, over the course of twelve months, Centurion promoted more than 70 employees.
Even as Centurion expands, Laura thinks maintaining strong corporate values would be important. She is planning to identify new ways to promote inclusion and cross-collaboration across the organization, especially since now they have very diverse teams in terms of both geography and experience.
Laura’s experience says that surrounding yourself with the right people is important, as a great leader takes the time first to establish a strong corporate culture. Therefore, her advice is first to identify individuals who will help you get there. She says,“Employees today are looking for more than just monetary compensation. This is especially true in an entrepreneurial environment, where they seek to contribute in a meaningful way, as well as to learn and grow with the organization. Given this, it’s important to ensure that you are hiring the people who are going to be the right fit for the company you are looking to build not just today but into the future!”
