'Conviviality is what sets us apart from other organisations'

At Pernod Ricard, we talk about our purpose being “Creators of Conviviality” – that’s what we stand for, said the company’s HR director Christian Campanella.

“Conviviality is what sets us apart from other organisations.” 

Campanella has more than 20 years in the industry and has established himself as a significant player in the HR industry.

Previous jobs in automotive, professional services, local government and rail all served as the training ground for his position in HR.

He will be speaking at the upcoming National HR Summit in Sydney on the topic of Employee Engagement and Collaborative Performance Management.

Campanella started at Pernod Ricard, one of the world’s largest global beverage companies, in 2007, and has brought his skills to bear in a variety of HR roles across Australia, New Zealand and China. 

Today, as global HRD, he is responsible for setting the group’s HR strategy and direction for operations and office-based teams across Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the USA. 

His performance earned him the HR Director of the Year award at HRD’s HR Awards in 2018. 

Campanella describes Pernod Ricard’s approach to HR as “multifaceted”. Operating across multiple territories with significant cultural differences means that that a one-size-fits-all approach is impractical.  

“It’s a decentralised organisation, and we are given the latitude to run our own business,” said Campanella. 

Even though there are naturally certain best practice guidelines and legal requirements that must be met, the wider organisation is mainly keen to see its three primary values in action – mutual trust, a strong sense of ethics and an entrepreneurial spirit.

While these are common traits across many companies, Campanella feels that Pernod Ricard offers a separate approach that elevates it above many of the other organisations he’s worked at.  

The National HR Summit in Sydney will take place on 25-25 March. To register, click here.