HR Hotspot: Interview Faisal Musa
Tell us about your current HR leadership role?
In my current role I am a HR Partner and provide strategic support to the Chief Information & Digital Officer for Saint Gobain UK & Ireland and the Customer Director for Jewson. I am also the HR lead for a number of Group transformation projects.
The purpose of the Customer function is to create a focus on prioritising the needs of the customer and to support creating a customer centric culture within Jewson. To help achieve this, we engaged with our internal and external customers to create vision and values that have been fundamental in beginning to embed a more customer focused culture.
My role within the Digital function is to support the digital transformation within Saint Gobain UK&I. One of the key purposes of the function is to design, create and deliver digital solutions which will enable the organisation to improve the customer journey and as a result, become closer to it’s customers.
I am commercially focused, passionate about customers and have a keen interest in innovation and technology, so I am really enjoying my role and excited about the future.
How would you describe the culture there at Saint Gobain UK & Ireland?
In a word, passionate!! Our colleagues really do go above and beyond in their day to day roles to deliver great service to internal and external customers. Even in challenging moments or situations, our colleagues pull together as a team to find solutions.
Are there any career defining moments or people that helped shape your career in HR?
I was working for Centrica, British Gas Business, when I really took an interest in HR. I am really grateful that the senior management team supported my career development allowing me to successfully make the transition from Operational management into my first HR role as an HR Advisor. In my first year of being in HR, I was awarded HR employee of the year, which was an amazing moment for me. My career has progressed from strength to strength since then and I recently featured in the HR Magazine as a future leader. I have been really fortunate to have had some fantastic colleagues and leaders (HR and non-HR) that have supported me on my journey, and although there are probably too many to list here, I would have to say individuals such as Emma Canter, Gerry McDowell, Olivia Fenton, Peter Spargo, Helen Hardy, Deirdre Stewart and Ish Dakri have been instrumental in helping me get to where I am today.
What would your advice be to your younger self?
Stay focused, keep learning and remember that when one door closes others open, so be patient and everything will fall in to place.
And finally, tell us about you away from the office.
I enjoy spending time with family, catching up with friends, I also play football a few times a week and I love to travel!
Culture‘s HR ‘Hotspot’ is brought to you by our HR Director, Nicola Morris. For any enquiry, contact Nicola on: nicola.morris@culturerecruitment.co.uk or 0121 272 6494 / 07769 209607
