HR Connect Leadership Series | Elevating HR through community and mentorship

Welcome to the Mentorlist Podcast and our HR Connect Leadership Series. I'm your host, Simone Turner, Marketing Manager at Mentorlist, and I'm really excited to be speaking with leading HR industry leaders about culture, transformation, leadership, and how they're building better workplaces. And I have a wonderful guest to introduce who is Georgina Poulos. So welcome, Georgie.

Thank you.

And I'm going to tell you a little bit more about Georgie because she has such an impressive background. So Georgie is an incredible leader in HR, Director of Gamma 3 Consulting. She is a seasoned senior executive renowned for her expertise in human resources spanning international and domestic landscapes across diverse industries. She is a strategic HR leader and executive coach specializing in driving transformative change cultivating high-performance cultures and shaping inclusive, people-centric workplaces. And as an organizational disruptor, Georgie has a proven track record of steering complex multi-site environments towards sustainable growth while fostering positive and values-driven cultures. So if that's not enough, her academic foundation includes a Master of Applied Sciences with a specialization in organizational dynamics, complemented by a postgraduate diploma in human resources and industrial relations. Beyond her executive career, Georgie is deeply committed to shaping the HR profession. She also actively champions fundraising initiatives for nonprofit organisations, including Theodora's Cheerful Givers. A trailblazer in leadership, Georgie made history as the first female chair for the board of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and industry serving from 2016 to 2019. Her visionary leadership continues to leave an incredible mark on organizations she serves and the broader HR community. And along with all of this, Georgie is also the chair of our new HR Connect program, which we'll discuss more later in the show. So welcome to the MentorList podcast. We're so glad to have you here.

Excited to be here.

And I thought, We'll start from the very beginning because your career is absolutely incredible. So what first drew you to a career in human resources and how has your view of the profession evolved over the years?

So I actually started out in operations and actually very early on I worked for my parents, you know, at the age of 10 selling dresses. So I've been in business a really long time. And then for my 21st, my parents gave me a year in Europe and I ended up staying 10 years. A little bit naughty. And in that time I worked for a Dutch restaurant company, which primarily was my background in hospitality through my parents' family business. But what I quickly realised is what I really loved doing was nurturing talent. So hiring, developing, running training programs, etc. So then when I moved back to Australia after living abroad for the 10 years, I knew that I wanted to do something else. So I went back to uni and studied. And then from there, I moved into HR roles, generalist roles, and then just kind of, it evolved from there. But it was really around that real need to see people thrive. And that's kind of my motivator.

So you've worked across both international and landscapes with that. And how have those experiences shaped your leadership?

You definitely have a greater appreciation for diversity and inclusion, for culture, for the nuances, for the complexities of running, you know, a function across countries and landscapes. So I think it's helped me become more patient. It's helped me become more aware. It's given me a broader lens to learn from other cultures and then embed those learnings across the board. So it's really made me a better leader for sure.

Amazing. Is there anything, any experience within, I guess, in any of the roles or any of the leadership roles that you've played that has really stood out to you?

Definitely my role when I was the Global Director of People at T2, where I had a global portfolio. I had teams in Italy, I had teams in the Netherlands, and teams in London, and here locally, working the night shift. You know, you do the day shift and then you'd be on call or you'd be having meetings, you know, the evenings. But that really shaped me to think differently about people initiatives. It wasn't a, I'm just going to roll this out. So it was think global, act local was kind of my mantra around that. So what could I take from the learnings of what we were learning abroad and bring them back domestically and vice versa?

Amazing. And I feel like that Yeah, learning from different cultures and yeah, like you said, bringing that back into different workplaces or different settings, it does, it adds so much value because sometimes we can only learn so much in one country sometimes as well.

Oh, it's really rich and you learn about yourself, you learn about your own biases, you learn about your own tolerances. And look, in being someone from immigrants, I am also the other. So, you know, you kind of embrace your own heritage and learnings and how you weave that into the way that you work.

Yeah, absolutely. And then speaking of, I guess, gaining different experiences, you're also described as an organizational disruptor. So what does disruption mean in the context of HR and leadership in that?

So for me, it's really around questioning what no longer serves us. So what don't we need? How can we think differently around that, but also around purposeful evolution, so change with purpose. And I think if you can bring that mindset in, which I do, and I love change and I love thinking about things differently, but with purpose.

Yes, I absolutely love that because there's definitely, you know, change is great, but there has to be a reason and it has to benefit, you know, the people and company, of course, as well. And how do you lead an organization through change?

Clarity and courage. I think they're the first 2 things, coupled with storytelling. I think a great change agent needs to be a great storyteller. And we need to start with the why, like, why are we doing this?

Yes.

You know, what's in it for me? What's the imperative for change? What's the call to action? And what does the future state look like? And I think if you don't have that, then people won't come on board. And in change, you need to be really courageous because you've gotta make— hard calls because you're not going to please everyone and you need to know that. You can't take it personally. You need to be able to kind of take time to reflect on what's happening in the organisation, really active listening, but really be able to tell that story around why the change is important.

Yeah, absolutely. And sometimes as much as we are coming in with such a positive mindset about change, it isn't always welcome. So yeah, how do you bring those people on board during those periods or periods of, you know, resistance or uncertainty?

I think you have to meet them where they're at. So really understand that in that change curve, everybody is in a different place. So meeting where people are at. Secondly, you really need to listen. And I know I mentioned that earlier, but really actively listening to what's going on. Continue to communicate. And repetition is king, queen, and everything in between. So keep repeating those key messages, particularly around the why, and then starting to localise it to what really is important to the different cohorts that you might be dealing with. And everyone's gonna resist change because it's change. Yeah, we like our comfort zone. Absolutely, and that's okay. But you need to be ready for it and be prepared. And sometimes it goes really well and you've got some answers and other times you don't. And it's okay to say, I don't, I don't know that, can I come back to you? Or, hey, we haven't considered that. That's a really good point that we now need to take into account.

Yeah.

And how can we pivot that in or make the changes that we need? And I think if you do that, you really gain respect of your workforce because they feel heard. And that's the most important thing, right? People want to feel heard. They want to feel like they belong. They want to feel like they have a voice, particularly in the change when they feel like there's no control.

Yeah.

So if you can play back what you've heard, then they start to feel more in control. They get further buy-in to the change, and then ultimately we get the result where we want to be.

Yeah, absolutely. Because I think, like you said, building that inclusive, people-centric workplace is so important, but feeling heard and knowing that you are not just being told what to do, but you're a part of that change and maybe speaking to them also in their language as well that they understand. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And how would you say— what would you say that that would look like coming into a setting like that, maybe in a past experience that you've been in before?

Yeah. So for me, it's around shared decision-making. So getting people to feel connected to that change. And when you want to have an inclusive environment, if people can feel connected and feel like they are contributing and adding value, that comes through shared decision-making. The second piece is creating an environment where people can bring their true self to work and be their true self.

Yeah.

And that's, I think, where you really get the magic. You know, the different perspectives, the diversity of thinking, the ability to co-create and collaborate. That is all the magic that comes together to create a really empowered, inclusive environment. And that's where I thrive.

Yes.

I want to work in a place that's like that, and I'm sure you do too.

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

But it takes work. It's not just flicking a switch. It's being really strategic about the choices that we make, leading from a front— from the front, leading loudly. You know, if you want people to have a flexible environment, then the leader needs to say, I'm leaving now, so that they know that they've got permission to do that.

Yes.

So really having that leadership piece is really critical from the top.

Yeah, I 100% agree. And I feel like, I'm not sure about you, but I feel like thinking back to what I knew about HR, I feel like it's really evolved and the role that someone does play has evolved so much. And I was just wondering, what were your thoughts, I guess, you know, maybe when you first landed in the industry to now, how do you feel it's evolved? The HR industry has evolved and evolved for you. Yeah.

So without giving my age away, back in the day, you know, it was really an enforcer. It was personnel, it was hiring, firing, you know, policy, etc., whilst they're all important. But the table, you know, it has shifted to being an enabler role. And I think if leaders at the top, you know, the strategic people leaders are really shifting the dial there and, you know, that saying a seat at the table, I think we've always had the seat at the table. It's the value that you add now and really having a strategic mindset, being commercial is super important, understanding your numbers, understanding the business, and being an enabler rather than the enforcer that always said no.

Yes, absolutely. So more leadership. And I think that's a great segue to my next question, because speaking of leadership, you were the first female chair of Hachi. And I would love to know what that milestone means to you personally, and what legacy do you hope that you left?

Well, firstly, I was really proud. A really proud moment for me to be the first female chair in what was, you know, a highly dominated male environment. The legacy that I hope I've left behind has opened the door to having more women. So the current chair is female, which is really exciting.

Yes.

There are more female board members sitting around the table now for Harki. I was also, you know, really privileged to introduce the first Women in Leadership series, for Harki, so really shifting a light on women in leadership within the Hellenic community. There's also an award for women in leadership at the annual Harki Gala, so that's really exciting. So what they say is, you know, as a younger person, if you get to see, you know, your mirror image in leadership roles, then you've got aspirations. So whether it's diversity or whether it's gender or whatever it might be, so knowing that I was a female leader that kind of did something that's a first, hopefully others can see that they can do that too.

Yes.

And it was a real, you know, I was really honoured about that. Yeah, it was just a really great experience.

So, yeah, so with that and leaving that legacy behind, which is so phenomenal, when it comes to that boardroom experience that you did have, what would you say has had the biggest impact on your executive leadership now?

Yeah, a couple of key takeaways. One is strategic thinking, for sure. Two is a disciplined mindset. Governance. I learnt a lot about governance. I actually learnt a lot about governance when I worked in local government as well, but definitely in, in the boardroom. And commercial thinking. They're my key things that I really felt like I could take from work into the boardroom and from the boardroom back into the workplace. And also, I think the other piece was having a diverse voice at the table.

So following on from leadership, something else really exciting that you're working on is our HR Connect program. And so why would you say that right now is the right time to launch this program?

So I think it can be really lonely for a CPO, and I know from my own experience when I've gone to other networking events there's information shared and you get to meet some really great people. And yes, absolutely, there's learning that you get from that. But when you're in an organization and you're running a leadership program and maybe it's an executive offsite like I've just recently held, you're not in it.

Mm-hmm.

You know, you're a member of the team, but you're also kind of facilitating. You're checking if the catering's arrived. You know, you might be taking notes. So you don't get the full experience. And so what I think is so awesome about HR Connect and partnering with The Mentor List is that it's a learning opportunity, a space we've created for chief people officers, HR directors, executives, etc., to come together for peer-to-peer learning, but to also engage with amazing thought leaders. That is a space that's created for us Yes. And not just about HR, but about business and commercial thinking and critical thinking and designing really great experiences, which is what we need to be doing now. You know, AI is coming in. I love AI. It's going to bring in so much, and it has already has so much automation and freeing up time. But what we need to be continuing to do, and you said earlier what's shifting, you know, in the role of HR, and whilst we're enablers, we also need to be designing these in-person and virtual experiences that bring people together. So by creating the HR Connect, we're creating an experience, number one. So we're, we're actually living that, but we can take some really great learnings both from the thought leaders and from the peer-to-peer connection back into the workplace.

So with HR professionals, and I think that's another reason why we wanted to launch this program, is You give so much back to everyone else, but you often don't take time out for yourself and to really, you know, maybe put some personal development and reflect on yourself. And I think that's so important. And it's probably one of the industries where we don't always do it enough.

Oh, I agree. And you wear so many hats. You know, you could be a counsellor one day, you're a recruiter the next day, you know, you're designing something else, you're trying to be strategic, you're on the tools, and you don't take time out. I'm guilty of that, absolutely. So how do we continue to learn in a way that's meaningful?

Yeah.

So, you know, life is fast and information now is in bite size. So to really take the time to spend a couple of hours together where we are not interrupted, I guess, and really present, I think is really precious. And over the last couple of years as we've been doing it in a more informal way, you know, my colleagues have really loved it. And so now bringing it in to a more formal kind of process, I'm really excited for what's possible and the learning and the curiosity. And, you know, they used to say, or people do say, knowledge is power, but I actually think the sharing of knowledge is power. And how can we be generous in that learning?

Yeah, absolutely. And those lived experiences by other people, because that's So that's how we learn so much. So I thought I would introduce HR Connect a little bit more.

Please, please.

And tell people who are listening what it actually is about. So what HR Connect is, well, we're going to have 2 amazing memberships. The online version, you'll get 4 90-minute online livestream sessions facilitated with a guest mentor. We'll also have invitation to all our online events, which are live online with our mastermind community. And then we'll have in-person state-based networking events. And these are incredible because there's people coming from all over Australia. So if you just happen to be in Sydney, you can go to the New South Wales Art Gallery event that we're hosting, or maybe it's the AFL event. And then of course, exact exclusive access to our Max Masterclass series, and they are amazing. So check them out online. And then the in-person version also has mastermind sessions which are in person as well, one-on-one access to group chair sessions. And then we're also going to be hosting a full offsite HR day, which again is coming back to really giving back to you amazing HR professionals who don't, you know, I feel that you're giving so much and I feel like this is a day where people can come together and not just CPO levels, but all different levels so everyone can learn from each other. So we're really excited about that. And I'd love to know from your perspective, what's the added value for the in-person component of our memberships?

Yeah, absolutely. So I think the online version is really inclusive. Everyone who might be time poor or interstate or aren't quite sure if it's for them, I think that offering is amazing. But the value add for HR Connect Plus is where that coming together and spending those 4 sessions, whether it's 90 minutes or a couple of hours, you know, the format we're still kind of fleshing out, I think. But having that in-person time, peer-to-peer, where we're learning off someone else, filling up our kit bag, time for us, I think is really invaluable. But the added special thing, and that's the beauty of co-creation. So, you know, as we were catching up a couple of weeks ago, we had another HR colleague in who gave us a few fabulous idea.

Yeah.

And that was the team day. And that is really magic because, yes, we want to be dealing with other CPOs and really forming that community. But the beauty of succession and developing others is bringing them along. So that team day where you get the opportunity to bring a couple of your team members along to interact with other senior leaders, not only great for them, Mm-hmm. But great for us. So, I'm a big believer in reverse mentoring, since we're here at The Mentor List.

Yes.

Really important, because there's so much we can learn from, you know, our other colleagues, our team members.

Yeah.

People that are starting out, who think differently, who have different experiences. And so, bringing those cohorts together, they get an opportunity to interact with some really awesome senior people, and we get the opportunity to be nurturing talent, to be giving back, but to also be learning.

Yeah.

So I think that's the big bonus.

Absolutely. And I think someone coming in who is maybe new to their career and then getting to hear from people like yourself, that I know for me, like it's starting out in my marketing career or just listening to someone who has that experience is sometimes honestly the best education you can actually get.

Oh, absolutely. And when we talked earlier about inclusive environments, and the legacy, etc. Again, going back to, oh, that is possible. They started out like I started out or whatever it might be. You know, I think that opportunity to connect in a, in a really lovely space that we're going to be creating is, yeah, really different to what's currently out there. And I'm really excited by it.

Well, I'm excited as well. And something else I'm excited about within this membership as well is our CPO Mastermind So I'd love to know from your perspective, like, I guess, who typically participates in these mastermind sessions? And why, why would someone listening be excited about them as well?

So back, it was probably about maybe a year or so ago, I actually, we hosted one here. So Martin Bean, who's part of the mentor list, he ran a 2-hour session for a cohort of, you know, chief people officers, HR leaders. And the feedback from that group was just like, it was practical, it was for them, they could take things back, they could— we all had conversation. So having access to leaders like Martin was phenomenal.

Mm-hmm.

And so the mastermind sessions around tailoring content 2 CPOs 4 times a year to be able to learn, to share, to take things away, to contribute to each other, I think is going to be so great.

Yeah, definitely. And leaders like such as yourself and Martin Bean, and we've got so many amazing mentors and chairs that are a part of the Mentor List who will be contributing to this program as well. So So exciting.

Yeah, so exciting. And to have access to CEOs, I think, is another really important piece. So really to pick their brain around, you know, what's keeping you up at night, what's happening in your organization or what's in the organizations that you've worked for, to really be able to then take that back and implement it back into workplaces is a gift.

Yeah.

Yeah, and I think, again, I mean—

Because where do you get that?

You don't.

Like, you can't get that anywhere else really. I don't, I wouldn't know where to go, or where would you go looking for that online?

Well, exactly, and this is an environment that we've set up that gives you access. So it's one thing to learn off each other, but to have access to really successful entrepreneurs or CEOs, CFOs, or whatever it might be, academics, That is, yeah, a little bit of magic, I think.

Definitely. And I guess some closing off questions I'd love to know, um, for anyone looking to grow other than, I mean, of course, HR Connect, you have to check that out once we launch that online because it's just so exciting. So I think by the time this podcast is out, it should be online, which is super exciting. But for any HR professionals looking to grow in today's fast-changing world, what is one piece of advice that you would give them?

Oh, I don't know if I've got one, but if I was telling my younger self, it would definitely be stay human, be purpose-led, and be commercial.

Love that. And when— can you elaborate a little bit more on that, especially around being commercial?

Yeah, I think historically, you know, you kind of stay in your lane, and I know that where I add the most value is when I can contribute to commercial conversations. So it's It's not, you know, obviously people are involved, but when I can talk to the marketing team or to the supply chain team or the sales team about their issues with a commercial lens, I can really add value. So I need to know my business.

Yes, yes.

And when I was at uni, actually, one of my lecturers said one piece of advice that's kind of stuck with me is one of the pieces of information you should be reading is the Fin Review.

There you go.

So it wasn't an HR book, it wasn't an online blog or anything. It was something about being commercial and it's always stuck with me. And those mentors that I've had, we always talk about the commerciality. So I think it's really, really important. So to that younger self, that person starting out, start reading the Fin Review.

Yes, that's such good advice. And as well as the Fin Review, do you have a favourite book that you've read along the way?

I do have a favourite book and it's It's Jonathan Livingston Seagull's.

Okay, put it on my list.

Yeah, put it on. You could read it in like half an hour. It's super little. But it's all about growth coming from pushing beyond the ordinary. It's about change, it's about purpose, it's about freedom, it's about challenging, you know, those limits that you have. And if I, you know, Earlier you said I'm described as an organizational disruptor. That's that. How do we push through that and think about what's possible?

Love it, love it. And if you could instill one value in every organization tomorrow, what would it be?

Generosity.

Oh, I love that. Can you tell me a little bit more?

Absolutely. So it's been a instilled in me in my personal life through my parents. My parents are philanthropists, so always about giving back. So for me, it's about giving back to community, giving back to team, giving back to business through knowledge, through time, just being present. I think it's really important. And so, yeah, generosity.

That's beautiful. What an amazing word to end this podcast on. And I just wanna say a huge thank you again. I have sat here and learned so much through you. Oh, thank you. And thank you everybody for listening to the Mentor List podcast because this is the first episode for our HR Connect Leadership Series. So we are super excited. So thank you again, Georgina Poulos, and definitely check out, yeah, our new HR Connect website. And all the information will be there.

Awesome. Thank you.