“As the company grows, so do the opportunities”
Kelly Singleton is Aryza's new Chief People Officer. Here she talks about her plans for the next 100 days and future challenges.
Hi Kelly, do you already have a first impression of how Aryza stands out from the competition?
Kelly Singleton It is very different to the companies I have worked for previously. On the business side, Aryza certainly stands out against the competition as the only provider of end-to-end services across the full credit and debt lifecycle. The fact that our company uses data across the entire customer journey to treat borrowers fairly is a big plus. After all, for many people, and especially Millennials and Gen Z’s, the ethical component is an important factor when choosing which employer to work for. From day one at Aryza, I was also impressed by the culture, which can almost be described as familial. There is a feeling that everyone is willing to help their colleagues. A collegial and collaborative culture is undoubtedly an important element of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Our industry tends to be male-dominated. Is this something that needs to be balanced in the future?
Kelly Singleton Of course, our leadership has on its radar how important it is to be diverse and inclusive as an employer. As part of our ESG efforts it is a key focus area. But as you say, it is a challenge within the industry - finance and technology combined, which tends to be male-dominated. The issue of diversity - in general though - will certainly be a focus in our work. It will be part of the "People Plan", and is important to our colleagues. Diversity, equity and inclusion is also becoming more and more important from a shareholder and customer perspective.
What strategic decisions will you tackle in the first 100 days?
Kelly Singleton Usually when I'm new to a company, I do what I call a "cultural fishbowl excercise". The idea is to get a 360° view of the company. I talk to the leadership team, my colleagues from the People team, and of course to the colleagues at the different locations. I also collate the relevant data internally and externally to complete the picture. It's about finding out what's going well and what could be improved upon. This information flows into the "People Plan", which I aim to have completed by the end of April. The goal will be to create a “One Aryza” culture, bringing together how we do things and creating a consistent colleague experience across the Group.
What steps need to be taken?
Kelly Singleton We need to create a consistent colleague lifecycle experience and define our EVP. This will include harmonizing how we do things across the Group and creating Global frameworks. Streamlining and digitizing how we do things becomes the Horizon 1 challenge, followed by a focus on talent strategy and culture. It's a significant challenge, but a very exciting one for the team. It is very important to me to create a culture that positions us as a potentially interesting employer, but it is even more important to motivate and retain our existing colleagues.
How is the HR department set up at the moment?
Kelly Singleton We are a team of 5 today with a regional business partnering focus. Michelle and Lisa are based in Düsseldorf. They cover our DACH, Benelux and UK & Ireland regions. I am based in Manchester, and then we have Sawdah and Suhayl in Mauritius. However, a new operating model is part of the People Plan and we will reshape how we work and improve both business partnering and central people services.
In which areas do applicants currently have particularly good opportunities at Aryza?
Kelly Singleton At the moment I see a focus on sales, which makes sense because we want to continue to grow our business. In addition, of course, the usual technology roles are always being sought. Another focus is on data science and analytics. Skills planning will help us to map out the future role requirements with the business goals front of mind.
You have many years of experience as an HR expert in tech and finance. What makes our industry special?
Kelly Singleton From my perspective, the combination of the two sectors is fantastic because the way of working are very different. The tech sector tends to work very quickly and is not hierarchical, the culture is often agile and ever evolving / innovating. Finance, on the other hand, tends to be more traditional and hierarchically organised. At the same time, there are parallels in terms of mindset and STEM background. When you bring these worlds together, incredible opportunities emerge. In this respect, fintech is a very exciting industry for me. All the big banks are working to modernise their technology, but fintech is leading the way.
Do you see opportunities for colleagues within the company to develop further?
Kelly Singleton The business continues to grow and evolve and with this comes opportunity. We do not yet have the framework in place to manage this in the best possible way, but talent management, succession planning and career development, will be a key element of the people plan. Having said that, I have already met many colleagues in the company who have held different roles during their time at Aryza and have developed their career over several years. As the company grows, so do the opportunities.
Is the HR department planning events and activities that will bring colleagues from different locations closer together?
Kelly Singleton We have our New Starter event, which took place most recently in Dublin. It was great bringing people together from different parts of the company so they could forge new connections, learn about the company and share their insights with us on the company culture and their experience so far. In the evening it was about having fun and we enjoyed a tour of Dublin and a traditional Irish pub with live music. We hold these quarterly and try to change the location each time. In addition, there are efforts to bring the Leadership Team to the various sites to spend more time with our colleagues. We are also looking at creative ways to collaborate more in person and we have to think creatively about this given our geographical reach.
What are your plans for talent development?
Kelly Singleton This will form part of the talent strategy but we will look at some creative ways to develop colleagues outside of the usual class room or e-learning approach. I am a big fan of learning in the flow of work, peer-to-peer learning, role rotation, etc.
What fundamental developments do you see in the HR sector in the coming years?
Kelly Singleton The strategic development of future skills is a key focus for us, especially in the technological arena. Younger generations have grown up with tech at their fingertips and it drives how they shop, how they communicate, how they learn, etc. and so for our colleagues it is important to have an experience at work which is similar. At this point, the EVP must also remain flexible in order to be able to adequately serve the different needs of the different generations / life stages. Data and predictive analysis is important in decision making and we need to look to the future and not the past. It is also super important for the profession to be agile and change with the times. Creative solutions and evolution of the profession will be key.
There is a lot of talk about the use of AI and its consequences ...
Kelly Singleton From my point of view, the human factor will continue to play a big role. I don’t think tech is taking over the human in the workplace, or at least not to the levels that some reports suggest. However, it is important that we develop the right skills to partner technological advances. How we utilize AI is a really interesting topic, and for me it is enabler that we should embrace rather than a threat.
KELLY SINGLETON LIVES NEAR MANCHESTER IN THE UK AND HAS BEEN HAPPILY MARRIED TO HER HUSBAND STUART FOR MANY YEARS. KELLY LOVES ANIMALS AND ESPECIALLY HER STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER, BUBBA. SHE LIVES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE AND ENJOYS HIKING, JOGGING AND SWIMMING.
