Perspective on leadership through adversity
Perspective on leadership through adversity
Bev White CEO of Harvey Nash Group discusses winning her recent Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCO) “Business Leader through Adversity” award, and how she coped with starting out as CEO just as the pandemic struck and her personal recipe for successful business.
Bev joined Harvey Nash Group as CEO just a month before the true onset of the pandemic in the UK and effective communication quickly became one of her biggest challenges. On day one of joining, she started to nurture a culture of transparency, a principle which lies at the heart of her personal leadership strategy, and this process started with a video sent out to all employees within the group, stating that she was ready, willing, and able to listen to anyone within or associated with the Group who wanted to reach out.
“I also needed to both introduce myself and get opinions on the business as a priority.” To action this, Bev arranged 30-minute online meetings with more than 100 members of the leadership team across the business. “This was a LOT of talking as you can imagine, but Harvey Nash Group is all about people and communication and it was absolutely essential. I also began my weekly blog, in order to share my actions, thinking and approach with complete clarity to all the stakeholders across the group.”
Moving communications to digital platforms can by its nature be less effective than face to face meetings, but it did come with one major advantage: as people became accustomed to the openness of Bev’s approach, they became more confident about raising their voice. “It was great,” states Bev, “I started to hear the voices of people who were quieter in the office environment, those who were more introverted perhaps, but with just as much value and insight to offer. Online, direct communications helped them express this.”
Also high on the to-do list for Bev was the appointment of Chief People Officer, Melanie Hayes. “As a business all about people, this was an essential role and one tasked with prioritising the health and wellbeing of everyone who touches the Harvey Nash Group from employees, clients, contractors, candidates and contacts. Melanie has done, and continues to do, a fantastic job and one that has definitely helped us all continue to build our successful business whilst managing the stress of Covid-19 and all that it entails.” says Bev.
Throughout the pandemic Bev was keen to keep all of Harvey Nash Group’s offices open, giving all its employees the flexibility of where to work as long as it was in accordance with local government directives.
“Not everyone has the space to work from home,” explains Bev, “and some of us really struggle with the lack of contact. If the office is an escape, or of other benefit, then I want our people to make use of it. We don’t mandate where you work or have to work to rigid hours baked into contracts, we expect excellence and workloads to be done, but respect every individual’s need for flexibility.”
Harvey Nash Group has also learned lessons from the pandemic about what makes a fantastic office environment and recently opened its new headquarters in London with a focus on hybrid and digitally enabled working. “We are also in the midst of a major overhaul in our technology, allowing our people to have the flexibility to work anytime, anywhere. We need to invest in the best breed of technology to ensure that not being in the room is just as effective as being there in person.” enthuses Bev. It is perhaps unsurprising that Bev has used tech to build on the Harvey Nash Group’s success story. She was also recently shortlisted in the Top 50 Most Influential Woman in UK Technology 2021.
“I believe my methods and approach are not just about leadership through adversity, they suit leadership through all seasons.”
Over the past two years, Bev has also concentrated on enabling more cohesion across the group which had historically been successfully working in their own silos but had potential to be more than the sum of their individual parts, by sharing resources and expertise for maximum advantage. “Again, it is transparency, that is the enabler,” states Bev, “transparency and communication that reaches across boundaries and across geographies. Whether you work for us or work with us, supporting people, engaging, listening, and actioning – that is what makes us Harvey Nash Group, and what makes us excellent at what we do. I’m delighted to win this award obviously and it sits proudly on my desk, but I believe my methods and approach are not just about leadership through adversity, they suit leadership through all seasons. Harvey Nash Group is chock full of talented individuals, being and doing the best they can, whatever the day throws at them. They all deserve an award in my opinion.”
About Harvey Nash Group
Harvey Nash Group consist of a portfolio of brands with a complementary service offering, all dedicated to help clients build limitless futures, by bringing together great people and technology.
Together we are the leading global provider of talent and technology solutions. We’re equipped with a unique network, that realises the potential where people and technology meet.
Our brands are:
Alumni | Crimson | Harvey Nash | Nash Tech | Spinks | Talent IT
