Personal development How I got here
How I got here...
Deborah Lee
Group engagement director, Compass Group
Group engagement director
Compass Group
2019 – Present
I was attracted by the strategic focus on
performance, people and purpose, and the scale
of the operation. 5.5 billion meals every year are
successful because our people are passionate and
committed to delivering superb results.
Chief people officer
YOOX Net-a-Porter Group
2017 – 2019
The challenge of bringing two very different
cultures together post-merger, while building a
sustainable HR infrastructure to support a rapidlygrowing
business, was a super-fast rollercoaster ride.
I gained insight into a new industry and different
business models, learnt resilience, and gained
confi rmation of what I stand for as a leader.
Chief people officer
BT Global Services
2015 – 2016
There can be missed opportunities and risks when
subtle indicators are overlooked. I sensed a disconnect
in one of our units, curiosity took over and the case
escalated from there. Sadly, Italy the company’s
Italian fraud scandal that surfaced was an occasion
where the actions of a few affect the lives of many.
I learnt that sometimes you have to trust your gut.
Chief learning officer
BT
2013 – 2015
I learned how to ‘walk the board’ and set the policy
agenda for a number of critical HR pillars including
talent, performance, learning, leadership and social
impact. Doing the early cultural due diligence for the
EE acquisition was a particular highlight.
Education
SDA Bocconi
Masters in European
HR leadership
2005 – 2006
Imperial College
BSc in chemistry
with management
1993 – 1996
I’m a scientist
but the lab
didn’t appeal.
Now business is
my lab and I
maintain a love
for analytics,
hypothesis and
experimentation
HR director, retail
BT
2010 – 2013
Here I experienced the magic that can happen
when a team comes together in a way that it
becomes an unstoppable force. We were creating
new possibilities, thinking disruptively and building
incredible outcomes.
HR director, consumer and enterprises
BT
2006 – 2010
I worked on productivity and performance,
evolving the leadership mindset from ‘our people
must be controlled and measured’ to ‘how can we
help everyone have a great day at work’. This was
a fabulous time to experiment with new concepts
on motivation and convinced me that traditional
performance management was defunct.
Head of global HR enablement
BT
2005 – 2006
Here I was outsourcing HR services,
implementing new systems and standardising
processes across the globe. I had my fi rst
experiences of global programme management,
commercial contract negotiations and managing
consulting fi rms. I was thrown in at the deep end
and somehow learned how to swim
HR generalist roles
BT
1997 – 2005
These roles gave me the foundation stone as
an HR operator. Working with different functions,
topics and leaders gave me a breadth and depth
of experience that I have been able to draw upon
in later roles.
3
Be honest, ask
questions, move
fast and be
digital
1
When you have the
opportunity to do so, shine
a light on others – make
them feel big, not small
58 HR April 2020 hrmagazine.co.uk
Images: AdobeStock
Top three career tips
2
Be happy now. Be clear on what
you want to stand for and
make sure you stay true to
your values
/hrmagazine.co.uk