Laura is a HR Change Partner within the Defence Mission Systems HR Team at Thales UK. She joined Thales in 2013 after completing a Graduate Leadership Programme within local government, which included working with the HR department to help manage a complex transformation programme that resulted from the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and the need to save the organisation over £80million, which included establishing a shared service centre and streamlining terms and conditions for over 7,000 member of staff. This exposure to complex HR and Organisation Development piqued Laura’s interest in the world of HR and she began to develop her professional knowledge of the industry through roles in Early Careers and Talent Management.
Passionate about helping young people into the world of work, Laura led the Early Careers function at Thales across the UK, promoting opportunities to ambitious young individuals completing STEM based subjects. She designed an award winning early careers attraction campaign that encouraged females to engage with the organisation to create a more diverse workforce.
Laura has also coached and mentored a significant number of apprentices, interns and graduates during her career, playing a pivotal role in the career development of young talent.
After moving through a range of HR and Organisation Development disciplines across the public and private sectors, a rarity for someone still rising within their discipline, Laura is now working on the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier Alliance. It is her responsibility to design and implement a programme of change to support Thales staff over the next couple of years once the programme comes to an end, illustrating that she is a true HR business partner and giving Laura excellent all-round experience as she continues to rise within the HR industry.