We must all accept that we can learn much more from each
other. Two brains are always better than one. You have to connect
people from different generations now. It’s just the way it is.
five years’ time this company will be competing for
talent that has never worked – or even thought
about working – in our industry before. That’s a big
challenge. We need to come up with new avenues to
do this.”
Such genuine excitement about what the future
holds will no doubt be a welcome change for BP. It’s
only just starting to put the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
accident (which killed 11 people and caused a major
environmental disaster) behind it. It wasn’t until last
year that BP announced it was finally reaching the
end of its £52.8 billion compensation process, and
investors seem determined that this marks a turning
point. Dividends were raised for the first time in 15
quarters earlier this year, while over the Summer
BP announced it would report how its strategy is
consistent with the 2016 Paris Agreement on
climate change.
As part of this process of ringing in innovation
and change Schuster and the rest of the executive
board travelled to Silicon Valley earlier this year to
gain insight into fast-moving start-ups doing the
sorts of things BP wants to do. “We have to
rediscover and understand how we will need to
make money,” he reflects. “We then need to figure
out what this means for the financial plan. Adding
colour to these numbers is part of the challenge
for HR.”
It’s a challenge Schuster clearly enjoys. “I really
feel passionate about this,” he says. “It’s an
opportunity that gives you a spring in your step. We
have a number of ventures where I feel BP will be
recognised externally as the catalyst for change and
a force for good – which is great for attracting talent.
Our brand is about needing more power but with
fewer emissions. And my job is making sure we
attract people who are inspired by this.”
He adds: “We want people that have what I call
‘IQ, EQ and drive’ – the ability to learn, connect
with others, and push through their ideas. These are
the sorts of employees that will have great careers
here if they want to.”
But none of this big-idea thinking can happen
without also transforming the HR function itself,
which at BP numbers 1,900 people globally.
Schuster is well known on the HR speaker circuit as
a ‘transform or die’ advocate. HR must call out and
be part of influencing what businesses need, he feels.
“HR’s really about creating trust,” he says. “HR
professionals need to be businesspeople first who
just so happen to look after the people agenda. We
can’t exist on our own and as a function we must all
understand this. We must act as catalysts.”
This perspective perhaps explains why Schuster is
such a passionate believer in HR needing to improve
its digital competencies. “Companies are essentially
about two things: people and technology,” he says.
“If HR’s role is to get out there and tell people about
the future careers they’ll have with us HR has to
become digital. It has to appeal to young people,
and talk their language.”
He adds: “We’ve recently implemented Workday,
so everything we do is much more intuitive and
does more to drive our business strategy.”
Strategic HR Profile
CV Education
University of Vienna
Masters in
social science
and economics
2011 – Present
Group HR director
BP
2007 – 2010
VP HR refining
and marketing
BP
2004 – 2007
VP HR trading and
gas and power
BP
1989 – 2004
Employer branding
and talent
acquisition
BP
1988 – 1989
Marketing
Henkel
26 HR October 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
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