Stephen is currently European Group Talent Manager at The Coca-Cola Company
Stephen's story
I was always very clear that I wanted to work in the HR arena but I also had a keen interest in marketing so I decided to study for a joint Honours degree in HR and Marketing at university. I’ve maintained those dual interests throughout my career so far, and the companies I have worked for, Sainsbury and Coca-Cola, have enabled me to use those complimentary skills.
My HR career started in 2002 when I gained a place on Sainsbury’s 18-month HR graduate training scheme. Programme placements gave me experience of retail and supply chain HR, learning and development, recruitment, HR shared services and HR business partnering.
My first appointment was as graduate recruitment adviser and within three months I had taken on the role of graduate recruitment manager, with accountability for the selection of over 120 graduates across eight graduate schemes and the development of a graduate attraction campaign. This was a big leap forward but I also felt that, as a relatively recent graduate, I was well-placed to understand these people’s hopes and expectations and to draw on my own experiences as a graduate.
When I took on the role, the business environment was quite tough and I knew we needed to be truly honest. I made some significant shifts and our campaign focused on going back to basics. It was successful, winning recruitment awards, but, more importantly, it also enabled us to become a highly effective and credible graduate recruitment organisation. We attracted fewer applications but had a much better quality pool of graduate talent to draw from.
In 2005 my next role was HR manager at one of Sainsbury’s largest supply chain depots. It gave me valuable experience of employee relations. This highlights to me the importance of gaining a base knowledge of different HR skills. For example, in my current role at Coca-Cola I feel I’m well-placed to deal with employee relations issues through that earlier experience.
When I joined the Coca-Cola Company in 2007 as an HR business partner for Great Britain and Ireland, it was to a very different role and organisation, although there were connections. I felt I had moved from an iconic British brand to an iconic global brand. The business partner role was a good opportunity for me to consolidate the learning I’d had as an HR manager. At Sainsbury I was predominantly a manager dealing with day-to-day issues. At Coca-Cola the shift to HR business partner was more about ‘How do we make this a great place to work? How do we support managers? How do we make this a successful organisation?’
I’m the kind of person that likes to work for an organisation that has a tangible product. At Sainsbury there was engagement with the store; at Coca-Cola there’s engagement with the product. If I’m excited about what the organisation does, then I’m excited about what I do.
After 12 months as business partner I moved into the role of talent and development consultant and was involved in one of the most interesting and inspiring projects I have worked on so far, leading the development and implementation of Coca Cola’s employer brand across Europe. It also gave me the opportunity to spend time in China, exploring how to take a concept from one part of the world and apply it to a developing market elsewhere. This HR and marketing project was a truly exciting learning opportunity.
My current role as European Group talent manager, based in London, has given me a great opportunity to think about working across cultures and in a virtual environment. When managing performance management processes or talent, what does it mean for a particular country? How can we work across multiple geographies? You need to apply a global perspective and I love working for an organisation that allows me to have an international focus. In my future career at Coca-Cola I would relish the opportunity to move into an international role, based overseas. I enjoy travelling and seeing the world but would value the chance to experience another country’s culture and environment in more depth.
Career tips and advice
When I started in HR, I had quite a naïve view about what it was about. My exposure had been through education rather than through practice. So one of my first pieces of advice to graduates is to try and get exposure and experience working in the HR function. We have had a graduate joining us for a few months who has done just that. It allowed him to confirm that it was the right thing for him. You gain a real understanding of what the business is about. It is not always easy to set up, but universities are increasingly offering sandwich and vocational courses or internships.
It’s also important to understand the breadth of the function – it’s not just about hiring and firing. It will give you greater insight into how you wish to progress your career, how you can develop in the function and what areas interest you. When joining an HR team, take your time to get as broad experience as possible early on in your career. It increases your credibility as you move up the career ladder if you have that wider knowledge.
There are many qualities that will help you to succeed in HR. A commercial mind-set, the ability to balance process with pragmatism, empathy, integrity, creative thinking, results orientation and a genuine willingness to make a difference have all been useful to me.
Career highlights
Working as Sainsbury’s Graduate Recruitment Manager early in my career and delivering an award winning graduate attraction campaign. I felt I was really able to add value through my insights as a recent graduate and my joint HR and marketing interests. More importantly I successfully hired a pool of high calibre talent into the business.
Leading the development and implementation of Coca-Cola’s employer brand across Europe, one of the most interesting and inspiring projects I have worked on so far. Spending time in our Shanghai office validating the applicability of the European employer brand to our China business was a highly rewarding experience and helped build my ability to apply a global lens to key projects.