Maria Harrison Email & Phone Number

In this crucial role at the heart of HBI, I am responsible for orchestrating the seamless flow of administration and operational support across the business. This position allows me to leverage my strengths in people management, communication, and organisation to empower a high-performing team within a small business, driving results that rival those of larger corporations. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities, and I thrive on collaborating with passionate leaders to contribute to our dynamic, productive, and growing company.

Responsible for developing strategies, implementing activities and providing expert advice to create and sustain an engaging and high performing culture. Developed and designed a 3-year people strategy, following a detailed review and analysis of data driven insights on current and future needs, in collaboration with the ELT and senior leaders. Co-created and launched ANC’s operating principles, to provide consistent employee expectations in which to achieve our purpose; adoption was enhanced through fun and interactive small group activities and reinforced through ongoing communications and recognition. Overhauled the previously HR-led recruitment process to appropriately transfer capability and responsibility to leaders; simple tools and step-by-step guides articulated the why and how of each step, tangibly improving ownership of recruitment decisions, quality of hires, and retention rates. Formalised onboarding steps to provide an experience consistent with our culture, enhanced with activities to communicate strategy, develop connections, and an immediate sense of belonging.

Led the exciting people function with specific responsibility for organisational culture, engagement and change activities, across approximately 230 employees and 1,000 sub-contractor drivers. Phenomenal period of business and personal growth, developing people strategies, evolving people practices and providing expert advice at all levels of the organisation. Achieved industry leading engagement levels and e-NPS ratings through a culture of care and respect for individuals.

Led the design and implementation of initiatives to drive the engagement and performance of our contracted owner drivers. My key focus was leading the design, implementation and maintenance of a national Driver Engagement Project that supported the business to shift customer experience beyond normal to consistently achieve best practice NPS ratings of 60 and 70+

Working with a locally based committee of passionate, motivated and enthusiastic HR leaders, we drive and facilitate 3 or 4 professional development activities (network forum events) for the local HR community each year.

Responsible for change and communication planning, measuring and activities for the transformation of Optus HR Consulting to an Ulrich based model of business partnering, shared services and centre of excellence. Fantastic full time project, working with a Customer Experience Black Belt and a team of inspiring leaders and employees to scope the best model for our business, undertake a detailed design and engage HR in preparing for the impact of this significant change, with empathy and clarity.

Dedicated consulting and support of the Optus Corporate business to identify and deliver capability development for individual, team and business capabilities, driving employee engagement and business performance.Most proud of my work to embed an Internal Audit Rotation Program (HiPo development) and used my relationship/networking skills across the entire organisation to promote the opportunity, identify great candidates and seek out suitable placements for completed program participants, with many benefits for the individual, organisation and me.

HR Manager for Optus Wholesale and Satellite division Jan 08 to Jul 12HR Manager for Group Finance and Optus Business Commercial Jan 06 to Dec 07HR Consultant for Consumer Customer Care May 05 to Jan 06 (mat leave position)HRM roles included responsibility for supporting strategic business plans with relevant initiatives and activities e.g. implementing major change programs, measuring and improving engagement, analysing execution issues, etc. Also HR generalist tasks of rem management, performance management, talent and succession planning, etc.Favourite achievement was my collaboration with Learning & Organisational Development Manager to create a phased, multi-faceted and long-term leadership development program, built on strong understanding of needs pulled through from engagement survey learnings, leadership assessments and relationship based insights. The program resulted in tangible lifts in both engagement and leadership assessments and had flow on benefits to other aspects such as leaders commitment to the talent management activities and our ability to hire high quality individuals through branding of the division.

Joint Venture of Three Major Banks with Outsource to Third Party Vendor. Amazing opportunity to play a very significant role in the due diligence prep, transition negotiations and change activities when my HR Director resigned early in the project - thank you T! Superbly successful outcome for Commbank and experience that couldn't be bought for me!

Research, analysis and implementation of HR/people initiatives for the Retail Operations division of approximately 3500 employees, reporting directly to the EGM Retail Operations with a dotted line to the Exec Mgr Strategic HR/OD

Bachelor'S Degree, Business, Hrm And Industrial Relations, (Partially Complete)

Diploma Of Human Resource Management, Distinction