Personal development How I got here
How I got here...
Vicky Wallis
HR director, Santander UK
HR director
Santander UK
2015 – Present
I oversee every area of HR; from payroll
right through to talent strategy. D&I is
currently a priority for us, and we’ve been
working with BITC to enable women to lead
the agenda. We’re pushing for policies on
Shared Parental Leave, and encouraging
people to talk openly about their
experiences. I’m also currently studying a
Master’s in leadership and really want to
emphasise how important it is to keep
learning throughout your career.
Various HR roles
Royal Bank of Scotland
2010 – 2015
I came along right around the time that
the term ‘the bad bank’ was coined. It was
diffi cult and we worked tirelessly. One of the
key things was making sure we could retain
people and keep them engaged, even
though they knew that some would lose
their jobs. It was really about being
transparent and making sure everyone
knew what was happening. There were a
lot of very adult honest conversations.
Consultant
2003 – 2010
Around this time I ran my own
business and threw myself into entirely
new environments. I learnt that one size
doesn’t fi t all when it comes to strategy. I
learnt how to stretch myself, and how to
market myself.
HR business partner
Vodafone
2001 – 2003
I was aware that I’d spent a lot of
time working in one particular sector,
and I didn’t want my experience to
be too narrow. Mobile phone
companies were going through a
great deal of growth at this time. I
was working with different sets of
people in the call centres and
helping to form their people agenda,
it was a great experience. However,
the company relocated, which
wasn’t something I was able to do so
I took redundancy.
HR business partner
Royal Bank of Scotland
1994 – 2001
Personnel officer
Bank of Tokyo
1990 – 1994
This was a completely different
experience. I’d already worked
internationally, but culturally being at
the Bank of Tokyo was a real learning
curve. It operated in a very different
way both across the HR function and
recruitment. At the same time I was
also completing my CIPD, so it was a
busy period.
Personnel assistant
Scandinavian Bank
1989 – 1990
Education
Heriot-Watt University
Postgraduate in the
psychology of organisational
design and change
2010 – 2011
HR was
something I
became
interested in
quite early on,
mainly through
working in the
careers office
while I was doing
my A-Levels
3
Keep a balance
in your life and
look after yourself.
Eat well, get plenty
of sleep and exercise, and don’t
forget to have a good laugh too!
Top three career tips
2
Be courageous and prepared to take
on challenges. Even if
they seem daunting
you will be amazed
at your capacity
to adapt
1
Be curious, ask questions
and keep learning – you
are never the fi nished
article and you can
always develop new skills
and capabilities
58 HR June 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
Images: AdobeStock
/hrmagazine.co.uk