BMW's Chief Financial Officer, Talita Ferreira, says "the Board really needs HR"

Organisations need HR and employee engagement to be represented at Board-level, according to BMW’s Chief Financial Officer.

Speaking to HR Grapevine, Talita Ferreira says: “The Board really needs to drive HR, culture change and employee engagement.”

She draws particular attention to the latter: “Employee engagement is sometimes seen as this tiny thing, but there are studies across all sectors that show what it adds to the bottom line. And for me, HR is the place where you drive the engagement of employees to actually support the strategy and sustain the longevity of the organisation.”

Ferreira, who will be speaking at HR Grapevine’s annual HR & Talent Management Conference this year, goes on to address the function’s involvement in culture change. “Who’s responsible for the culture in an organisation? – it’s normally the Board. But the Board can’t deliver the culture on its own. HR is a really important piece in helping to be that cultural advocate and helping to drive cultural change.”

Although Ferreira is CFO at BMW, she also carries the responsibility of HR in a combined role, something that she says is “quite normal for German companies.” She says this is advantageous in delivering people processes more quickly, and having a combined mindset.

“Finance is more commercially-driven, but I think the power comes from combining the commercially-driven with the strategy of the organisation, and then delivering it through the people.”