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“The ‘x’ in my name is like a ‘sh’ in English,” explains Uxio Malvido, CHRO and Head of People and Culture at the World Economic Forum (WEF). It’s easy to see why he has climbed the HR ranks – he has great emotional intelligence and an ability to second-guess your questions before you ask them.
Chemistry was the start
Malvido adds that his name harks from Galicia, in the Northwest of Spain. “People initially struggle with it but once they have it, they never forget,” he says. He studied chemistry at university but admits it wasn’t the love of his life. “I didn’t really enjoy it! My colleagues were all big fans of the lab, but I couldn’t find much passion and energy there,” he reflects.
A diplomat, he found a way to keep his parents happy by agreeing with them that rather than ditch it he would study psychology alongside science. It shaped the way he was to craft himself as a professional.
“I have a strong scientific background which informs the way I think and structure documents. I’m not afraid of spreadsheets,” he says.
During my lifetime I have seen both the rise of D&I becoming mainstream, but also the current push back and weaponisation of identities.
His first step towards HR was as an intern with the biggest oil company in Spain, Repsol. It was framed as a year, but Malvido became aware of the graduate opportunities on offer. “I passed all the psychometric tests, but they didn’t have a role as a psychologist or in HR and it became clear to me that I really didn’t want to step back into chemistry.” He didn’t.
HR made sense
It was 1997 – the year Princess Diana died and the first Harry Potter book was published. “I joined Accenture in the human capital consultancy department, working with different clients and industries. It was a perfect start ,” he says.
A career spent travelling began – including a year in Istanbul, Turkey working for a bank. His next stop was pharma with MSD, known as Merck & Co. His feet stayed put for eleven years.
“I got several internal promotions during that time. Healthcare is so fascinating – the amount of technology and drug development is quite remarkable,” he says. For part of his time with Merck he landed in training and development building leadership and commercial skills.
