Five minutes with: Howard Sloane, Group HR Director at Peel Ports

Howard Sloane, Group HR Director at Peel Ports, tells aspiring HR Directors to reach out for a mentor.

What do you think is the key to being a successful HR Director?

You have to understand the business that you are in.  That means spending time with commercial, operations, finance and, of course, HR!  Knowing what your organisations customers want is crucial, as is understanding the mechanics of how your company makes its money.  Spend lots of productive time with your Head of Commercial and Chief Financial Officer.  You should then develop a working knowledge of operations in order to help you build a portfolio of HR solutions that fit your business. 

Underpinning all of this is the business plan, therefore you must be as close to the CEO as you can get in order to enhance the HR functions delivery.