Five Minutes With...Kate Evans, group executive of people strategies at ISIS

Kate Evans, group executive of people strategies at fitout and refurbishment company ISIS, talks about the many hats HR professionals have to wear, and why Karl Pilkington makes her laugh.

How would you sum up HR professionals in two words?
Flexible and resilient. 
 
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“Everything matters, but nothing matters that much.”  I like the sense of balance this saying brings - give it your all but don’t be afraid of failure.  
 
What are some of the biggest challenges that HR deals with?
In ensuring that we have the right balance of skilled talent to meet changing needs and achieve business goals, I find there are many hats that HR professionals have to wear.
In an increasingly competitive market, we need to think like marketers to develop value propositions that will attract the best talent, we then need to help build meaningful career paths that will allow people to grow and develop and help our leaders engage and motivate to retain.  
 
How do you see the role of HR changing in the future?
HR is evolving from being a clearly defined, stand-alone function to one that collaborates closely with other parts of the business, such as IT, strategy, sales and marketing, to deliver well-rounded HR and talent management processes. I also see HR departments getting involved increasingly in the fitout and refurbishment process to ensure that the office environment matches the IT strategy to reinforce company culture and create effective and efficient working environments.
 
What’s your favoured style of coffee?
A cappuccino for me - the chocolate is just as important as the coffee. 
 
If you could invite three people to dinner, dead or alive and excluding family and friends, who would that be and why?
Gai Waterhouse – I am a fan of horse racing and I have enormous respect for someone who puts 100% in to what she does and stays true to herself in an tough industry.  Her genuine passion for what she does is testament to her success. 
Karl Pilkington – For the laughs. He wouldn’t have to even open his mouth as I laugh just looking at him.  
Jamie Oliver – Someone needs to cook! 
 
Complete this sentence: If I wasn’t in HR, I’d be…
A zoo keeper.

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