Being a biology teacher doesn’t usually lead to a career in HR but this is just what Sally Gregory did; with little personnel experience under her belt she knew she had to pull something out of the bag so she self-taught herself the basics with the aid of a ‘bluff-yourself-in’ guide: Personnel Made Simple’ the gamble paid off and she soon got her first lucky break at engineering power-house GEC – here’s how she did it.

1. Current job title

Vice President Human Resources-Europe

2. Please describe your initial training within the profession

In my first Human Resources role at GEC (engineering – predominantly now known as Marconi), I studied for a Diploma in Personnel in the evenings, which resulted in accreditation for membership of the CIPD. Most of my knowledge has been self-taught, particularly through reading. My expertise in employment law, for example, has been developed this way.

3. What positions have you held?

After graduating, I studied for a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. I was a Biology teacher for just over three years, before becoming Personnel Officer at a GEC company (Energy Systems). After just over two years in that position, I moved to Vanguard Rental UK Ltd (16 years ago) as Personnel Manager. Through expansion of my responsibilities and recognition of the value of Human Resources within our business, my role has developed to my current Vice President position, where I am part of the senior executive team.

4. Is there a significant event you can tell us about which had an impact on your career?

The most significant event was being given the chance to begin a career in HR at GEC in the summer of 1985. I was disillusioned with the limited opportunity for progression within teaching and one weekend I decided it was time to move on.

The same week I applied to an advertisement for a Personnel Officer at GEC and the rest is history as they say.

5. What has been your greatest achievement?

Within HR, one significant achievement was to bring together two companies, Alamo Rent-A-Car and EuroDollar Car Rental, when both were acquired by the US company Republic Industries in 1997.

This involved re-branding to National Car Rental whilst retaining the Alamo brand. There was substantial re-structuring including the closure of one head office and several branches, as well as significant management re-organisation. The two organisations were originally of very different cultures; we are now very much as one. We have gone from strength to strength and in the UK are market leaders by a very long way with 23% market share.

6. Which of your colleagues played the biggest role in you getting where you are today?

The Personnel Director at GEC, played the biggest role in my career by simply having faith in me to offer me my first role in Personnel. I had no experience at all and actually very little personnel knowledge.

I read “Personnel Made Simple” before my interview and that seemed to equip me well for a few technical questions!

He threw me in at the deep end and kept nudging me in the right direction from time to time. His desire to see me succeed in my career even extended to supporting my decision to leave GEC for new challenges.

7. What advice would you give to someone thinking of entering the profession?

Don’t under-estimate the importance of Human Resources in the success of any organisation and don’t allow others to under-estimate it either. Demonstrate with your expertise and personal skills that you can make a real difference.

The culture within the organisation is critical to business success. The role of HR is to shape the culture to ensure people feel valued for what they do and have belief in the role they play within the organisation. To see people grow and develop beyond even their own dreams is very satisfying for an HR specialist – but most of all, realising people’s potential is a major contribution to business success.

All the previous career profiles can also be seen on the How Did I Get Here? page.