In this episode of the HR on the Offensive podcast, we revisit our ongoing campaign, “Demystifying the HR operating model“. In this series we explain how your HR operating model needs to be shaped to support your key business driver – whether that’s productivity, customer intimacy, agility or in this case, growth. In this episode, Chris is joined by Aaisha Knights, Chief People Officer at LMAX Group, to discuss one of these critical drivers: rapid growth.
Aaisha speaks on her initial 100 days at LMAX. She emphasises the importance of understanding the business needs, conducting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analyses, and identifying quick wins. Her focus at LMAX was on building a four-year people strategy, establishing a coordinated approach to hiring, and developing a central people operations function. A significant change she implemented was rebranding the HR department to “People and Culture” to better reflect the company’s goals.
The many hats of the CPO
Chris outlines the four hats a CPO wears, which is our framework explaining the competing demands of a CPO: the service expert, the experience architect, the transformation enabler, and the compliance champion. Aaisha notes that, given the nature of LMAX’s business, the transformation enabler (enabling the business to achieve its goals through a defined set of people outcomes) and compliance champion hats (running the HR function efficiently and effectively) are particularly crucial. She highlights the importance of effective change management and ensuring that any changes lead to a better employee experience.
Listen now for Aaisha’s insights into the multifaceted role of HR in a rapidly growing business.
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