Inspiring the vulnerable and under-privileged – meet People Director Jacqui Mallin

People Director Jacqui Mallin has turned her fascinating life into a book, designed to inspire others from an under-privileged background that it is possible to live your dreams.

Describe your career before People Puzzles

My career has spanned 38 years, predominantly across financial services, retail, and banking.  I realised I loved leading people through change and was very good at it; whilst I have high empathy, I am very driven and outcome focused, so this served as a powerful combination.

I always give everything I have to every role and feel very fortunate that I have been given fabulous opportunities to make a positive difference in leading people through change underpinned by technology transformation. I developed expertise in this area and won my first award in 2013 as HR Director of the year for my leadership of a multimillion-pound global programme.

Why did you apply to People Puzzles?

As HRD of a retail bank Covid was a challenging, stretching and emotionally charged period of my life both professionally and personally. As the world started to come out of the pandemic, I realised I was emotionally drained, physically exhausted and I had lost out on family time, which I would never get back. I was also going through the menopause and knew I needed to change my life and be more present with myself and my family. The answer was to exit corporate life.

I gifted myself 12 months off work, which was amazing and after a full life re-set, I began to think about what my new world of work could look like going forward ….

I first heard of People Puzzles back in early 2022 through an advert online. What struck me was the potential opportunity to retain ownership of myself and still work! The advert promised the flexibility to work where, when, and how I wanted rather than being chained to corporate life. So, I applied in January 2023, when I was ready to return to the world of work.

How did you find the recruitment process?

The first introduction is a very important first experience with any potential company. My first meeting with People Puzzles was with Claudia, who was an amazing brand advocate; full of energy, positivity, and professionalism. She is also based in Spain which resonated with me, as my longer-term ambition is to work from my holiday home in the Algarve.

The recruitment process is very thorough as People Puzzles seek only the best candidates in our market. A conversation followed with fellow People Director, Sonia, who is based in France – a common theme emerging here – who was equally as energised, positive, and professional as Claudia.  Finally, a meeting with Co-founder, Helen and Kathryn, Scotland’s new Regional Director, before attending induction and joining the newly established Scottish Region in April 2023.

What is the biggest difference in both your work and personal life working with People Puzzles to when you worked in your previous roles?

Looking back, it was a big leap from corporate leadership to setting up my own company and “selling” myself to several different companies. Some needed me to join their executive team as a part time People Director to help them define their strategy and vision; some to identify their people strategy; and others to deal with workforce challenges. Each company, client and day is so varied and different. However, the one common, motivating thread is that I am making a real difference in businesses who need my skills and experience, but just could not afford a mainstream traditional model.

In what way has People Puzzles helped you to thrive?

People Puzzles has absolutely fulfilled a dream I had of autonomy over my time, enabling me to work when I want and with the clients I choose in a structure that best fits my personal goals. People Puzzles is a progressive organisation that cares about its team and treats you as an individual, helping and supporting you to achieve your dreams and ambitions.

I am extremely fortunate to have a wonderfully privileged life with my partner, David, splitting my time between the UK and the Algarve.  I am a mother with two wonderful children and seven amazing grandchildren.  I don’t stress about being asked to help with my grandchildren, such as picking them up from nursery or school or taking them to their hobbies. In my previous career, I couldn’t provide this support to my working children, but I know that I can now fit work around personal priorities.

Describe your typical work environment now and what is the best thing about it?

My week looks very different now to back in the corporate day. I split my week working with my clients either on site at their offices or from one of my home offices. No two days are the same and can range from designing and delivering a Discovery Project for new clients, giving them an opportunity to really understand the lived experience across their business and the reasons that are holding them back from achieving their growth potential; to designing and undertaking a full HR Health Audit to provide them with assurances that their business is compliant; or designing and delivering leadership programmes and visioning days to help them unlock their leadership potential.

Have you had one stand out moment when you have felt lucky to work for People Puzzles?

One stand-out moment for me was working with a lovely public service client who needed support and guidance to bring their entire business on a journey to invigorate, excite and align the company and its purpose with the leadership team. I designed, developed, and delivered the project. The buzz in the room on the day was so powerful and I was so proud to have been given the opportunity to be part of their journey.

Do you feel that your contributions are recognised and how is this shown?

What is special about People Puzzles is you’re not alone. I considered consulting alone for a nanosecond, but I was cognisant that it’s very difficult to break into such a market. People Puzzles is an established respected brand which I am proud to represent.  I have nearly a hundred People Director colleagues that I can reach out to for support and advice underpinned by a wealth of online content and tools that covers the whole spectrum of the employment journey that I can tap into, adapt, and personalise on behalf of my client base. There is also a central team of lovely friendly people who don’t hesitate to help you when needed.

I have no doubt this will resonate with some of you but when you’re at the top of your profession you lead a very broad and varied team who take direction from you and create content for you so you get away from the need to keep your early career skills in developing content. I have taken great pride in re-learning how to create content such as PowerPoint, Excel and Business and People Strategic Plans and deliver my own work; crazy I know but sometimes it’s just the small things that make me smile and energise me….

What excites you most about the next 5 years of your career with People Puzzles?

The next 5 years is filled with so much potential for me. David and I are relocating to the Algarve soon and Helen and I have talked about the opportunity to continue to work internationally which is amazing. Enabling me to create that work life balance that seemed a dream and to be involved in a growing successful business that’s really gaining an influential presence in the market makes me proud to be part of the team.

What has People Puzzles done to support you in achieving your own goals?

I also have an NED Portfolio and working with People Puzzles also enables me to fulfil my personal ambition to “give back” to the community specifically where there is a need to provide hope in vulnerable and under-privileged society. My real passion is diversity and inclusion, particularly related to socio-economic situations. To that end and as part of my bucket list, I have written and published my first book, A Life Less Privileged, a personal account of a little girl who dreamed of being worthy and fulfilling that dream!  I wanted to inspire people from disadvantage backgrounds by showing what can be achieved through hard work and learning good leadership skills. Had I created this life plan 5 years ago it would have been a dream not a reality …

For all you potential peers out there considering a change in career if my story sparks an interest then do not hesitate to get in touch with the team, it’s been a game changer for me, and I look forward to meeting you as part of the Puzzlers family.

What advice would you give a new People Director?

It’s difficult to change from an employee mindset where you give your all and where a company owns you to the point that you sacrifice your personal life. Two of my bosses told me I was the hardest worker they had ever had, so my personal challenge is to give the absolute best I can to my clients but not at the expense of falling into the rut of working a 12-hour day whilst getting rewarded for 7!!!! This is a specialist but commercial model, so my advice is to start the way you mean to go on!