PROFILE LISA BURQUEST
my brilliant career
success
Switched onto
Consistency counts when it comes to HR practice at Origin Energy. In just 12 years, this leading provider of energy to Australia and the Pacific has amassed a staff of over 5,600, proving that the company certainly has horsepower. Lisa Burquest, GM business partnerships, people and culture, Origin Energy tells Carolin Wun why a consistent approach was needed from the beginning Human Capital: With such diverse operations ranging from gas exploration and production, to electricity generation, operating and developing sustainable energy sources (such as Origin’s wind farm and hydro projects) and energy retailing, how does HR operate? Lisa Burquest: My role was created in March this year where they wanted one person sitting across all of the business-facing HR resources, so all the different business groups would have consistency. There needed to be a level of consistency because we, the business, had grown so quickly. We had lots of new people and a significant number of senior people with less than two years’ experience at Origin. HC: How is the HR team structured? LB: My resources from a business process perspective are aligned; they report to me but they sit with the business. Payroll, services, operations – and all of the HR activities in that space – are centralised. We have recruiters sitting across different key Origin sites. We have a couple of specialist areas that are centralised also, so all of the learning which happens across the organisation comes out of a central group to maintain consistency. The people & culture function has grown with the organisation. When I joined six years ago, it was a very small group of people – and far more decentralised – and over time it has evolved, as we wanted to be more strategic, focused and aligned. Our current operating model has thus emerged and it is working effectively.
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HC: Describe your current role. What parts of it give you a real buzz? LB: A key aspect of my role is to help support the building of the Origin culture. What guides the way we make decisions at Origin is our ‘Compass’ – our purpose statement, principles, values and commitment. My role provides that centralised view of how we deploy the key people processes, enabling us to gain that consistency in our decision making. I enjoy the opportunity to see across all of the business and understand how it fits together, and making all the different parts function effectively – I love HR when you apply it in a business context. But it’s all part of a bigger picture, and I’m fortunate enough to see and feel that bigger picture in my job.
Career timeline: Lisa Burquest FIRST JOB At Uni
Concierge, Grand Hyatt Melbourne
1991–2006 BHP Billiton •Various roles from graduate to senior human resources officer, logistics and services (Melbourne, NSW, New Zealand)