UK 
United States
Idris Arshad,
Head of People, Asthma + Lung UK
Idris Arshad charts his HR journey to becoming Head of People at Asthma + Lung UK, explaining how his faith has underpinned key values in serving people in his work.
Idris Arshad,
Head of People, Asthma + Lung UK
Idris Arshad charts his HR journey to becoming Head of People at Asthma + Lung UK, explaining how his faith has underpinned key values in serving people in his work.
Three weeks into a senior HR role is barely long enough to find the bathroom, but Idris Arshad has already found his feet as Head of People at charity Asthma + Lung UK, and has begun to roll out some strong HR initiatives. Here, he reflects on his impressive HR career in the third sector and explains how data feeds into his policies on caring for wellbeing.
How it began
Arshad began his HR career at Harrow council, working between his second and third year of University. It was a time that ‘sparked’ his interest in people management. He completed his final year of his business degree and focused upon the human resources modules. He eventually did a small, temporary job in an international development organisation, taking donations. It was 2010 and around the time of the recession. Working in a charity wasn’t leaning towards making a living for the young Arshad but he still had a penchant for helping people and working within the third sector fulfilled that itch for him. He pressed ahead.
The role at Muslim Aid saw him work across the entire HR space and he made much progress during his five years. A personal highlight was being involved in raising one million pounds in just one night. Arshad then moved to become International HR Advisor for CAFOD, the Catholic aid agency working with country offices in the Middle East and Africa. After a stint there, he was on the move again, this time to the homeless charity, St Mungo’s.
“It was there that I was allowed to flourish in my first business partner role. I was there for just over three years.” He explains that it was a time of ‘interesting work’ not only on the employee relations front but also on ED&I and wellbeing.
If your systems are capturing absences accurately, when someone reports in with any absence, it should trigger a response
Idris Arshad | Head of People at Asthma + Lung UK
“I got involved in people accreditations and while there I obtained my chartered membership with the CIPD as well which was a great personal achievement. I really got to see how my HR work translated in to good outcomes for the homeless people they served,” reflects Arshad.
It was now the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and when the world stopped, Arshad continued to forge ahead with his HR career. He joined the Salvation Army Housing Association. “Trying to do HR in a pandemic when nothing’s really working but everything is, was a unique experience,” he explains.
He spent 18 months there before moving over to St Christopher’s Hospice as their People & Inclusion Partner.
“There was a big focus around ED&I, wellbeing and employee relations. Leading those elements for the organisation I spent just over two-and-a-half years there working on their culture around ED&I and wellbeing. It was great to be able to better people management practices to ensure teams were well led, resourced and supported.”
Head of People at Asthma + Lung UK
The opportunity for his current post came up and it was a progressive move allowing him to get closer to being at the very top of the HR profession.
He has a team of five and is currently looking to take advantage of the great work already in place such as having a vibrant brand, committed culture, and ambitious strategy. Arshad will be focusing on developing a people strategy to align with the ambitious organisational strategy and aiming to make sure the people team have a key role in making a difference to the beneficiaries it serves.
