An Interview with HR Director Orlagh Hunt

Summary

Ora Hunt, an experienced HR professional, discusses her journey from retail to becoming a Chief People Officer, emphasizing the importance of HR in fostering employee growth and organizational transformation. She highlights the need for diverse and passionate teams, the challenges of adapting to new business models, and the importance of aligning business and people strategies. Hunt also shares her thoughts on the future of work, including flexible employment and the push for diversity and inclusion.

Takeaways

• 😀 Ora Hunt has over 20 years of experience in HR, with expertise across retail, FMCG, and financial services.
• 🌟 Ora is passionate about helping organizations transform their commercial performance by tapping into the capabilities of their people.
• 📚 She started her career in general management in retail and later moved into personnel and training, where she joined the Tesco graduate management training scheme.
• 🔄 Ora has been involved in major business turnarounds, including at RSA and AIB, where she successfully helped the companies recover from significant losses.
• 🌍 Ora's leadership style is focused on building diverse, passionate teams and empowering them to perform their best without micromanagement.
• 💡 She believes in the power of leadership to create climates where individuals can flourish, with a focus on inspiring and coaching people within organizations.
• 📈 Ora emphasizes the importance of aligning business and people strategy, ensuring that both are working towards the same goals for sustainable success.
• 🌱 She highlights the need for organizations to adapt to challenges such as political instability, demographic shifts in the workforce, and the rise of data-driven companies.
• 🎯 Ora advocates for a talent scout mindset, where leaders actively seek the best talent both within and outside the organization to build high-performing teams.
• 🌍 She believes that HR functions should foster agile organizational cultures and support leadership in responding to changing economic and workforce dynamics.
• 👩‍💼 Ora is exploring going out on her own to help a broader range of organizations with transformation and leadership challenges while seeking more flexibility for her family.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Ora Hunt's work in HR?

Ora Hunt primarily works with organizations undergoing significant transformation, helping them improve their commercial performance by accessing the capabilities of their people.

What sectors has Ora Hunt worked in during her career?

Ora Hunt has worked in retail, FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), and financial services sectors during her career.

What was the role of the Tesco graduate Management training scheme in Ora Hunt's career?

The Tesco graduate Management training scheme provided Ora Hunt with an amazing foundation and was a pivotal point in her career, leading her to focus on personnel and training.

What does Ora Hunt believe is the key to individuals flourishing within organizations?

Ora Hunt believes that having the right leaders leading in the right way within an organization is key to creating the climate and conditions that allow individuals to flourish.

What was the situation at RSA when Ora Hunt joined?

When Ora Hunt joined RSA, the business was making significant losses and it was unclear whether the business would continue, requiring radical amounts of capital.

How did Ora Hunt contribute to the turnaround at RSA?

Ora Hunt contributed to the turnaround at RSA by helping to stabilize the business and then focusing on organic growth, achieving an average annual growth of 8% during her tenure.

What is the leadership style of Ora Hunt?

Ora Hunt is described as someone who likes building diverse and passionate teams, is clear about vision, instills passion and belief into her team, and gives them the freedom to work their magic without micromanaging.

What are the main challenges Ora Hunt sees in traditional industries?

The main challenges Ora Hunt sees in traditional industries are the threats from data-driven organizations, political instability, and the need to create an agile organization and culture to respond to these challenges.

What does Ora Hunt think about the role of HR in creating a sustainable organization?

Ora Hunt believes that HR can play a critical role in creating a sustainable organization by helping to create the climate and conditions that allow individuals to flourish and by aligning the business and people strategy.

What is Ora Hunt's stance on diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

Ora Hunt is a big fan of diversity and inclusion, believing that a diverse group of people will be better representatives of the customers and the workforce, leading to better business decisions.

What advice does Ora Hunt have for people starting out in HR?

Ora Hunt advises those starting out in HR to have a good grounding in all disciplines, build strong relationships across the organization, be willing to give honest feedback to leaders, and believe in the possibilities for the organization and its people.