Meet the Team: Kristina O’Donnell

In the first of our new ‘Meet the Team’ series, our expert HR advisor Kristina O’Donnell talks about her journey into the wonderful world of Human Resources.

1. Where are you originally from?

I grew up in a small town called Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland a ten-minute drive from the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

2. When did you decide that you wanted a career in HR?

I don’t think I did! I returned to study Business and graduated from the University of the West of Scotland with a BA Hons in Human Resource Management. I always had a passion for supporting organisations to be the best that they can be and decided in my third year that this was inevitably achieved through their workforces, and so HR seemed like the most appropriate route for me to achieve my goals.

3. What is your favourite thing about being an HR Consultant?

Simply put: the client engagement and making a positive difference towards the implementation of best practice and bespoke strategies. I have been extremely fortunate in my career to have had a baptism of fire into the world of HR and worked for some large global organisations with various levels of HR maturity. This has allowed me to obtain vast experience as a HR Generalist which has created a versatility in my approach.

4. What are the key HR areas that you cover daily?

No two days are the ever the same, however I would say the key areas for myself and our team are Employee Relations, Change Management, Organisational Development and Learning and Development.

5. What is your biggest achievement to date?

My son, family always comes first!

6. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends, as well as going on adventures to different places. I enjoy leading a healthy lifestyle and actively engage in outdoor activities, paddle barding is a particular favourite at the moment. In addition, I like to set new targets for continued self-development and it looks like a Masters in Law may be next on my agenda…

We hope you enjoyed getting to know our resident ‘KOD’ – watch this space for future ‘Meet the Team’ articles in future quarterly editions of Resource! Sign up here.