Louise Merrall APHRNZ

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

I originally studied law and after a number of years travelling and working in a variety of roles I retrained as a teacher and worked in this sector for 10 years. I realised that I wanted to develop a career that used the skillset from my legal studies as well the leadership and people skills from teaching. I also had a deep interest in neuroscience and how this impacts on our behaviours and how we interact with others. This all lead me to a career in HR.  

What do you love about working in HR?

I love that there is an opportunity to help both employees and business owners in achieving their goals and to do so in workplaces that have a positive impact on their lives. We spend so much of our lives at work, it’s vital that it is in an environment where we thrive. 

What is an achievement so far in your career that you are proud of?

Supporting clients to develop and integrate proactive, strategic HR processes where they can see how it advances them to their business goals. 

Do you plan to now work towards becoming a Chartered Member?

Yes, I realised that I actually only have one core capability to increase to “lead” and therefore plan to make this a focus to allow me to apply for Chartered Status as soon as is appropriate. 

What are your next steps in terms of your career?

To continue to support businesses with their HR strategy and implementing this to HR processes, systems and decision making.  We are also in the process of developing workshops to offer to businesses on various HR topics, so I am really looking forward to this and am in the process of becoming ANZCAL accredited to support this.