UWA and me
I have always wanted to travel and experience as much of the world and different cultures as possible. Since leaving UWA, I initially did this, spending a number of years backpacking across South East Asia and China. When I returned and commenced a career in corporate Australia, I focussed on working within my field of Human Resources, targeting global organisations with dynamic growth agendas. Initially I gained employment in an entry level administrative role and quickly worked my way up by working hard and always putting my hand up to take on more responsibility. The start of my career saw me move across a few industries as I gained experience and promotions. My first executive role was within the cruise industry for Carnival Australia. It was a career highlight. I was able to be part of an Executive team that transformed the cruise industry in Australia and became the fastest growing market in the world.
My time at UWA was the perfect launch pad as it has a very international student body and staff. My degree gave me exposure not just to relevant and very practical subjects, it allowed me to understand that there are many different viewpoints. If you take the time to listen and understand, the opportunity to learn grows exponentially. UWA offers an incredibly high standard of education, in a city like Perth, with all the benefits of a smaller city. I still love to walk through the beautiful campus, even now, when I visit Perth. It is one of my favourite places in the city!
The heart of every business
I am very passionate about creating a more inclusive world, where differences are celebrated as much as the things we have in common. This is a daunting goal, especially with the current global political and social movements back to ‘nationalism’ versus ‘globalism’. In my role as an HR Executive, I am tasked with helping to shape cultures to drive shareholder value and achieve financial results. At the heart of every business are its people and so ensuring they attract, develop and retain the best people is critical. I believe that core to this is creating leaders and future leaders who foster cultures where people can speak openly, can contribute meaningfully no matter what level they are (front line to CEO) and where honest, open dialogue is the norm. We should be running our companies like we should be running our families, communities and countries: respecting differences and having genuine concern for the success of all, not just the few.
Learn from those with less ‘experience’
I am also passionate about my career, particularly the opportunity to shape culture. The world is getting increasingly complex, and the rate of change and transformation is accelerating at a rate never seen before in history. It is critical that we create workplaces that enable people to succeed within this changing world and have the resilience to face this uncertainty and chaos with a positive outlook and a sense of optimism. I love that my chosen career is not limited to a specific industry sector. I have worked across Infrastructure, Financial Services, Tourism and Hospitality and Media. This allows me great opportunities to learn and be challenged and opens any career choices much wider.
As I look forward, my ability to adapt and evolve to meet the changing world will be key to staying relevant and ensuring I can continue my career into the next few decades and beyond. I continue to learn and spend considerable time developing a strong network of people I admire and respect. I make sure my network is very diverse, with people in different roles, career stages, industries and backgrounds. As we progress through our careers, it is key to learn not just from those ahead of us but from those with less ‘experience’ than us. They will always teach us something new and have insights we don't have. As my role is very ‘people focussed’, I have the luxury of interacting at all levels of the organisation. It is an aspect that I love.
Words of wisdom
Don’t expect to have your career mapped out. The world is constantly evolving and what is relevant now, may become completely irrelevant. Curiosity is key to ensuring that you are open to opportunities and options that will come your way. Be curious and be brave - the world is indeed your oyster!
Simone Shugg is a results-focused, strategic HR Executive with a depth of experience acquired across industry (media to financial services to hospitality), scale (100 to 5k+ headcount) and growth stage (start-up to established and disruptor to disrupted).
Simone has a track record of converting business vision into people and culture initiatives that directly improve profitability, performance and customer and employee engagement in fast-paced high growth organisations. She is a passionate leader who supports companies and top executives with a perspective that people are an organisation’s greatest asset.
Simone has worked for some iconic Australian companies including BankWest, Carnival Australia and most recently Foxtel. She is on the Editorial Board of InsideHR, and also a member of the International HR Directors Forum. In her spare time, you will find Simone hiking a mountain or exploring a museum or gallery.
You can keep-up-to-date with Simone via LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.