Gillian French, Chief People Officer at CubicTelecom
Gillian French is Chief People Officer at Cubic Telecom. As CPO, Gillian leads a team responsible for building on the talents of the employees and oversees all aspects of people development, culture, employee engagement, policies and practices.
She performs a central role in increasing operational flexibility and implementing well-being initiatives, while also working with each team to drive the company’s corporate strategy.
Prior to joining Cubic, Gillian held the position of Chief People Officer at CarTrawler, where she was an integral member of the leadership team for 12 years. Before turning her skills to the technology sector, Gillian spent eight years at Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, where she held several senior leadership roles across a range of departments and properties.
“If things aren't going your way, don't react impulsively. Take a step back, walk away from the situation and try to think clearly. Time and space can help you to put things in perspective. If you take that time and space, your response will be communicated in a way that you will ultimately be happier with.”
Gillian French
Gillian French, LinkedIn, Cubic LinkedIn, Twitter & YouTube
Gillian’s expertise lies in the facilitation of articulating company vision, values and executable strategic plans for the management teams of the organisations she works with.
In 2017, she was recognised for empowering female leaders by winning the Deloitte Fast 50 ‘Leading Female’ award. An advocate for continuous professional development, Gillian has also completed a programme in Executive Women in Leadership at IMD and attained an MBS in Business practice and several diplomas from the Irish Management Institute.
Gillian was a Board Member with Enactus Ireland, a global non-profit community which combines the worlds of academia and business acumen.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
In my current role as Chief People Officer, I align the business strategy with the people strategy because ultimately, it is the people who are responsible for the company's success. Focusing on people is at the heart of Cubic's company culture. Helping others, personal development and empowering employees is truly valued at Cubic.
What I love about this role is recruiting people to the company whom I believe can make a positive difference. It is a joy to watch them develop in their roles, getting recognition for the work they deliver and seeing their careers develop.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
I enjoy solving problems and in turn, helping people. I believe that a situation or place should be better off when you leave it than it was when you joined it.
If I take the attitude that there is a solution to everything, I can motivate myself to alter my mindset when trying to find solutions to issues that can arise in the workplace.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
The most important thing to me is my family. They are my universe. I put a lot of time and energy into nurturing my children, and we have a wonderful relationship as a result.
I am also lucky to have a strong network of close friends whom I have known since I was seven years old. They keep me grounded, and I can talk to them about anything.
It is important to have people in your life who knew you as a child. These are the people who can still make you laugh even when the chips are down.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." - Dalai Lama.
This quote has always stayed with me throughout my professional career, especially when I reflect on instances when I have been disappointed or didn't get accepted for one thing or another. I realise that those rejections made me stronger, and it has worked out better for me in the long-run. This quote helps me view outcomes from a different perspective, keeping me on the straight and narrow and helping me build resilience.
"Be yourself everyone else is taken." - Oscar Wilde.
Early on in my career I thought I needed to be a certain way to be a great leader/manager and I would try to be like some of the senior leaders I worked with, but after time I realised that it wasn't going to work as I wasn't being my authentic self. I also realised that being a little different is actually an advantage and not an issue, I'm 44 now, and I am very comfortable in my own skin, and I think that is an important stage to reach.
What are you most proud of in your life?
I love my career and will always be dedicated to the work that I do, but in terms of what I am most proud of, I'd have to say, my children. As clichéd as that sounds! The role of the caregiver, which can often be overlooked, is extremely important to society and its future.
Whilst an organisation should adopt a corporate social responsibility policy, at home, you also have a social responsibility to raise children as best you can. If a child can be reared to show kindness and compassion for others, they will take that forward into their adult lives and future workplaces too.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I don't have any major regrets. There are probably lots of things that at the time I wished hadn't happened but looking back, all of those situations that I viewed in a negative way, have actually taught me some useful lessons.
I am grateful to have had people throughout my career who have spent time mentoring me, helping me to develop and grow. Even though part of the developmental process was making mistakes which at the time can get you down, I still wouldn't skip the process because that is what got me to where I am today. The process is important.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
I admire leaders who show compassion and demonstrate kindness but still get the job done.
Serial entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan is someone I admire. She is an expert in change management, an advocate for women in leadership, and for collaborative rather than competitive work environments. She is an inspiration, and I often think about how I can apply her ideas to my own work and personal life.
In Ireland, I find inspiration in Gary Keegan, who is a leader at the forefront of transformational change in the area of High Performance. Gary's career has been that of a catalyst, to initiate and lead the realisation of change in thinking, behaviours and practices. By implementing a focused, performance-driven philosophy into businesses, he succeeds in delivering measurable impact.
A leading figure I find inspiring, who is no longer with us is Maya Angelou. She was active in the US civil rights movement in the 1960s. She then went on to become an acclaimed poet and the first African American female director in Hollywood.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
The best advice I was given was to sit with things, not reacting too quickly. If you are working on something that you really care about, your emotions can drive you, and drive your reactions. If things aren't going your way, don't react impulsively.
Take a step back, walk away from the situation and try to think clearly. Time and space can help you to put things in perspective. You can determine how you want to move forward and the best way to achieve that. If you take that time and space, your response will be communicated in a way that you will ultimately be happier with.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
To make things better, help people, to solve issues and make a difference. I have three children that I leave each day to go to work, so the work I do needs to make a difference.
I not only want to do great work at Cubic, but I also want to pave the way to make positive changes in how we work.
I think organisations need to understand the impact they have on home lives and as a leader, I want to ensure that we are building organisations that have a positive impact on the home life of our employees and the wider community. As leaders, we have a wider social responsibility.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
I believe there will be significant behavioural changes towards social media in the coming years. I think people will start to take back their personal identities and become more circumspect.
A few years ago, I found that I was spending so much time on social media platforms, watching other people's lives virtually rather than spending time in my reality!
While these platforms can be a great way to keep in contact with friends and family, I found that it was diluting my attention and taking time away from my real life. I have since deactivated many of my social media accounts and turned off my notifications.
I find LinkedIn good for following thought leaders and connecting with others in business.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
I have always had a coach and mentor throughout my career. I think it's very important to have those support systems in place.
At a previous company, I worked in the business was growing at a phenomenal rate, between 40-50% YOY. I had to ensure I was talking to the right people at the right time. I wanted to draw on people's experiences.
I think particularly when you are in a high growth business moving at a very fast pace; senior leaders need support systems such as mentorship programmes and executive coaches in place to assist them in their development.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
I now have a strong network, which has taken time to build up over the years. I found that university was great when I completed my Masters a few years ago.
I built up a network of contacts in a similar field to myself. I also attend the Pendulum Summit and the HR Summit annually. These types of events are invaluable for the contacts you can make, from a range of backgrounds and companies.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
I think to be an effective HR Leader you have to have a natural interest or curiosity about people and a strong level of empathy and understanding, but you must also have the ability and willingness to make tough decisions when required.
Another piece of advice I value is "One size does not fit all." I learnt this early on in my career, no matter what you implement, there will always be a cohort of people that it won't suit. So it would help if you were inventive with your policies, procedures and benefits. You will not keep everyone happy, which can be difficult at times, but that's the job.
Finally, to be truly impactful as a HR leader, you need to understand the inner workings of the business. If you do not take the time to understand how the business works or have a strategic lens across the business, you will have difficulty understanding the real issue and implementing the right solutions.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
I think particularly in the past few years this "Always-on culture" can be exhausting for people and the sad fact is that it is usually the employees who are working really hard and care about the work they do that can get worn out. I think this is particularly relevant during the current pandemic.
Organisations should be mindful of this as I believe when we get back to normality, many people will be reassessing their situation.
There are so many reasons why people fail or give up, but as leaders, we should hold ourselves accountable too. If people are failing in our organisation, we need to hold a mirror up and ask ourselves if we are providing a healthy workplace where people can flourish.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Success is being content with the person you are and not allowing anything or anyone to interfere with your inner peace. I also believe the only way to be truly successful is to be grateful for what you have and to be fully present in your life.
I was at a seminar a few years ago, and someone quoted that "you cannot be happy unless you are grateful", and that really resonated with me.
I think nowadays we have a lot to be grateful for, but we can take things for granted. It's taken me a long time to understand that success is not about what you have or where you are in work, it's about how you live and how at peace you are with what you have.
I also believe that many people contribute to an individual's success and that we should be mindful of this and play our part in contributing to the success of others.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
I have always been hard working, and I love learning. I'm always reading and signing up for development courses.
This is something that I have incorporated into policy setting in my professional life too, encouraging employees at Cubic Telecom to dedicate time to their own professional development.
I have always had a strong work ethic. I worked in hotels when I was younger and progressed quickly up the career ladder. I didn't fully appreciate why I was moving up so quickly, as I was unsure at that time what career I really wanted to pursue. Now I realise that my social skills and problem-solving capability probably contributed to my success.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
I recently participated in the Inspiring Change podcast series. I had an enjoyable and thought-provoking discussion with Scott McInnes about the impact the ongoing pandemic has had on internal communications, providing tips about how to bring corporate values to life, and providing practical insights on company culture.
You can listen to it on InspiringChange.ie or Apple Podcast.