Carolyne Creed

Responsible for everything people. Obsessed with all things culture, human performance, personal development and wellbeing. A strategic hippie who's not afraid to ask the hard questions. A non-traditional People Person that leads by intent. Unlike Sheryl Sandberg, I do not believe in "Leaning In".

The journey so far

I joined HX on the 4th July 2011 as "Head of Learning and Development" and was given a blank sheet of paper to create and implement the L&D strategy (exciting, right?). During my HX career, I've delivered a number of change initiatives alongside the day job, here are some that I'm most proud of: designing a new approach for developing and measuring performance, co-designing and launching The Academy, designing in-house Leadership and Management development programmes, introducing business missions and strategic planning activity, redefining and launching our company values and purpose. Not the typical role of a People Director.

Between 2012 - 2014 I move to a dual role which involved taking on the Distribution Contact Centre. My objectives were to improve the customer experience, profitability and team performance. I became an Associate Director in 2014 and took on the leadership of the Distribution, Airparks and German People Teams in 2015. In 2017 I joined the ExecCo and have worked with the board to define our purpose, set the new 3-year mission and strategy and identify projects that will support our future growth plans.

Favourite HX values

Be Courageous and Be Pioneering in Spirit.

Life before HX

I love travel and have worked in the industry for 16 years. Travel feeds my soul.

I've had quite a varied career and after studying Psychology and Law (I wanted to be a criminologist) I worked in sales, marketing and internal communications before moving into the world of People Development.

Each role has helped me to gain a deeper insight into how businesses perform.

Before joining HX I spent a couple of years working on an award-winning change project and found my passion and niche. I am energised by working on initiatives that positively impact the culture, design and performance of organisations.

Life outside of HX

I feel most alive and connected when in nature. When I'm not working you'll find me in the woods or at the beach with my partner Tim, Labrador Monty, a flask of tea and a journal. I live by the sea and love the perspective it provides. I lift weights, practice yoga and create my own healthy treats...my favourite tipple is gin!. Balance is important.

I love design, especially interior design and enjoy finding hidden gems at antique fairs. I love the story behind a good piece of furniture.

I have always been interested in human behaviour and the mental, emotional and physical aspects of wellbeing. I have meditated since my teens and completed my mindfulness teacher training in March 2017. I am an executive coach and specialise in habit formation. I mentor other female leaders and take inspiration from athletes when working with leadership teams to develop high performance skills and behaviours.

My family is from Ireland and we travel back every year to hike and drink Guinness.

This is my happy place.

Love: travel, wellbeing, fashion, creativity, design and challenging the norms of business

Hate: rules, politics, bad coffee and tuna.

My mantra

"life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them".

Time is precious...go adventure.

Find me on Twitter @kazzyfizzy