Like many others, my career began in the dynamic world of hospitality where I started as a casual waiter and, over 15 years, worked my way up to management. As the story so often goes, once the hospitality bug bites, it’s hard to shake! Most of my training during that time was hands-on and on the job, which taught me resilience, adaptability, and the value of people-centric leadership.

Eventually, I made the leap into recruitment, starting in-house by looking after the hiring needs of the two hotels within the Global Brands family. Before long, I found myself managing talent acquisition across our parent company. That was my real introduction to the world of HR, and it immediately piqued my interest. I found myself wanting to understand the bigger picture… the theory, the strategy, the “why” behind what we do in people functions.

Like many, I kept telling myself “the time isn’t right” when it came to formal study. But eventually I took the plunge and enrolled in the Level 5 CIPD apprenticeship – and I haven’t looked back since.

The beauty of doing this while working in the People Team is that I get to apply what I’m learning in real time. From talent planning to employee engagement strategies, I’m gaining first-hand experience with the practices I’m studying. My team and course provider have been incredibly supportive, and time has flown – I’m already halfway through the programme!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that if you’re thinking about learning something new or taking your career in a new direction, don’t wait for the “perfect” moment. Start when you’re curious. I only wish I’d done it sooner!