Steph Oborn CMHRNZ

What led you to a career in HR/ the position that you are in currently? 

I have always been passionate about two things, leaders being good leaders, and people having a great experience at work. In my view, we spend so much of our lives at work that it should be a great environment where people can thrive, learn, network, and ultimately make a difference. I specialised in organisational development because you can have a direct impact on areas such as the company culture, proactive people processes and the development of leaders.

What do you love about working in HR? 

I love that no two days are the same. I like partnering with leaders, supporting them, understanding their challenges, and coaching them to achieve better outcomes. I also love improving our processes so that they’re simple to understand, pragmatic for the organisation, and have a positive impact on results for the company. I’m lucky enough to lead a great team and I enjoy being there for them and helping them to develop and grow their careers.

Are there any specific highlights of your career that you wish to share? 

I’ve had lots of highlights within my career. Being involved in the nation-wide rollout of a new behavioural framework to support our values at Alliance last year was a definite highlight. In my roles I’ve designed and led succession planning processes, talent development for the organisation, and leadership development frameworks and being involved in any of those pieces of work is always a highlight. I’ve facilitated lots of different leadership development programs over my years in People and Culture and seeing the impact of those programs and the growth in the leaders who participate is always amazing to be a part of.

What are your thoughts on Chartered Membership? How do you feel about being a Chartered Member?  

Chartered Membership is a great opportunity to work towards a professional accreditation within the HR industry and because the pathway is comprehensive, it’s really cool to earn the achievement. I feel really pleased to be a Chartered Member and to receive recognition for my skills and experience in the industry.

What motivated you to work towards becoming a Chartered Member? 

I was motivated to progress my own development this year and Chartered Membership provide a great pathway with the ability to work towards specific skills, and to track CPD points. It was a motivator to participate in forums and events for my personal development. I also wanted to role model development for our People and Culture team so that they were motivated to progress their development and work towards achieving professional accreditations with HRNZ too.

What are your next steps in terms of your career now that you are a Chartered Member? 

My goal for the next 12 months is to continue to build my skills and experience in areas of HR where I’m not as strong or where I don’t have as much experience. I also want to support our People and Culture team at Alliance to progress their development in the industry and work towards accreditations of their own.