SP Diaries #7: Kate Fallowfield, HR Business Partner

How does Socially Powerful ensure its internal team is happy, healthy and achieving their best?

Our fantastic HR department.

We sat down with Kate Fallowfield to find out what it takes to keep the team running smoothly, and what she loves about the role.

When did you start working at SP?

I started working at SP in 2019, so over 4 years ago! I joined as part of the internship programme straight out of university and have been here ever since.

What is your role?

I work as Socially Powerful’s HR Business Partner.

What does that entail?

Ensuring that our HR & People Plan is aligned with the agency’s wider strategy in order to work towards achieving our goals as a business. I am very much a HR generalist, so I work across all areas of the business and implement strategy and processes across key HR functions, including Learning & Development, Talent & Recruitment, Culture.

What does an average week look like for you?

No week is ever the same in HR! But I am focussed on the delivery of our HR & People plan, whether that is focussing on workforce planning and recruitment (reviewing applicant profiles, conducting interviews etc.), working on employee development initiatives (e.g. leadership workshops for junior managers or pitch training for our Accounts team) or more strategic work, such as developing a new feedback framework.

Why did you choose SP/ want to work for them?

I actually joined SP on the Accounts team, so working in a client-facing role rather than within the internal HR team. I chose the SP internship because I wanted a role where I could really get stuck in from day one and make a valuable contribution to the team. Working at a smaller agency meant that the training was much more hands on and I was able to tailor my role and career path to my own interests and skillset and ultimately craft the role I am in now!

What do you like about working at SP?

I have really appreciated having the autonomy and flexibility to forge my own career path. I never thought I would end up working in HR, (much less heading up the team!) and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore different areas of the business to work out what is the best fit for me.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned across your career so far?

Do not be afraid to try new things and ask for new opportunities. SP really champions curiosity and this has encouraged me to explore new opportunities outside of my comfort zone and give things a go, and has ultimately landed me in the role I’m in now.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome at SP?

I came into the HRBP role having done a master’s in Organisational Psychology but not having any prior experience working in HR, so I had a lot of imposter syndrome stepping into a role where I am responsible for an entire department. But I have had so much support from the team and have been continuously encouraged to try new things, make mistakes and learn from them, which has been invaluable to my own development.

How has your career path/vision changed over the years?

I have had a complete shift in my career over the past 4 years! I originally started working in the Accounts team as I was keen to find a role where I could combine creative and strategic thinking. But I’ve come to realise that you don’t need to work in a traditionally ‘creative’ field in order to draw on these skills, as I use both strategic and creative thinking in my HR role on a daily basis.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in your role?

Get stuck in and give things a go! You can learn just as much (if not more!) from your mistakes as you can from your success stories, so be brave, try new things and see what happens.