Ken Meghani, Distribution Services Manager
Ken Meghani joined SHL in 1996 as a course materials controller, running a department in the Distribution Centre. When his manager moved on, four years later, he was encouraged to apply for the role. It was an opportunity he grabbed, and now he is the Distribution Services Manager. At the warehouse, where Ken works, there are about 10 people, eight of them working there for the past nine years. It is a place where staff turnover is very low, so the environment is very friendly. Ken manages all aspects of material distribution at the warehouse, and he appreciates the autonomy he is allowed in this role. He believes the company is going through a very positive period, which makes his work even more challenging.
Peter Humphreys, Product & Training Account Director
Peter first got in touch with SHL as a volunteer for training at the SHL management centre. After this first contact, he applied for a placement in the HR department, as part of studying for his master’s degree. On completing the degree, his talent was recognised and he was invited to join the HR team as an HR Advisor, before moving into a commercial role as a business consultant. After this, Peter left SHL for 3 years, to gain additional skills in the wider market, skills that he brought back to the organisation 18 months ago, when he was offered a position as an Account Director in the Product & Training team. Peter’s favourite aspects about working in SHL are being able, as a market leader, to push the boundaries and to work in a healthy fun department, where everybody knows each other, and communication is easy and simple.
Chris Clarke, Technology Solutions Director
An advert in a newspaper 11 years ago got Chris Clarke to apply for a position as a systems engineer at SHL. He didn’t get that job, but he became SHL manager of special IT projects instead. Since then, as business started to upsize, he saw his team grow and become a model for equivalent teams in other regions. Chris has seen the continuous growth of his part of the business over the years, first with the replication of his team to other regions, and now with the implementation and development of core IT systems. To Chris, this represents a great challenge, because it means taking an already good product and making it still better.
Max Pemberton-James, Business Analyst
Max Pemberton-James joined SHL as a finance trainee, eager to learn all about the functioning of a financial department. He was invited to stay as an assistant accountant with increased responsibility and a key focus on the financial system. When the UK business was reorganised, Max took one step further into the organisation as a Business Analyst. In the financial team, which he describes as a happy, youngish and helpful team, Max has to work with a number of other departments to evaluate the financial impact on the different areas of the business. He feels that he has many chances to develop his career at SHL because it is a growing business; a company that is big in importance but not so big in terms of structure that you get lost.
Helen Marsh, Senior Consultant
Five years after joining SHL, Helen Marsh now manages the same graduate scheme she first experienced as a student herself. Helen applied online after seeing a lecture from SHL at Cardiff University. All the graduates selected to participate in the scheme at the time (a total of six), got permanent positions and five of them are still currently working for SHL. Initially, Helen joined the consultancy team where she was mainly involved in training delivery. After discussing her preferences with her managers, she moved into assessment centres and later took on management of development events. Last year she capitalised on her skills and experience in these areas to design and deliver management development workshops and one to one coaching programmes.
Shona Howe, Junior Project Manager
Shona Howe joined SHL in 2001 as an experienced graduate PA. Working for the Chief Information and Technology Officer, she enjoyed a diverse role using her strong communication and organisational skills, liaising with colleagues throughout the company worldwide. Shona has seen considerable changes across SHL over the past three years and enjoys working in the IT department. She believes that there are opportunities for development within SHL, provided you are willing to build on your skills and experience. In Shona’s case, these qualities were recognised and she moved on within SHL to IT project management. In her new role as a junior project manager, Shona is responsible for projects within the customer systems area of the business. This move was a challenge that Shona welcomed, and the company is providing technical training to help her undertake her new role with confidence.