Introducing Laura Herbert, Apadmi’s new head of people

What made you want to join Apadmi?

Apadmi has all the hallmarks of a vibrant, growing business. It delivers innovative solutions for an impressive client list with an ambitious and enthusiastic team. I’m really excited about what lies ahead and the role I can play within that.

What are the priorities for  your role?

I want to make a difference where it matters most, supporting our people to thrive, collaborate and support each other as we continue to grow.

There are three main areas of focus: attract, train and retain.

Attract. We are a growing business in a competitive market and need to ensure Apadmi continues to live up to our position as an employer of choice.

Train. It’s essential we provide our people with the tools and training to enable them to thrive. We’re doing that through ensuring everyone has tailored development plans while also developing our Apadmi Academy.

Retain. The final piece is putting the right rewards and recognition in place, which comes from growth, having the right variety of projects to work on and maintaining a culture of collaboration and support. 

How do you maintain culture while growing?

As we scale as an organisation, it’s important we retain our identity and continue to build on our technical heritage and the trust we’ve developed between our teams and our clients. 

The technology industry is currently very competitive, but we believe in hiring the best and brightest minds who will add to our culture and be true to our values.

What are the current trends in the tech industry and how can Apadmi stay ahead of them? 

The pandemic has put flexibility front and centre, with people wanting greater choice on where and when they work, which we’re very supportive of. Apadmi has an open location policy which enables every employee to choose where they work. That enables everyone to better juggle work and life, particularly those with dependents.

Enabling core hours and reviewing traditional working patterns also improves the trust we have in our people and empowers them to take responsibility and be in control of when they work. That’s something that’s very much here to stay in Apadmi’s ways of working.

What about Diversity and Inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion is one of the most important parts of our ongoing talent strategy. We are committed to ensuring Apadmi can attract and retain diverse talent and that inclusion is a shared objective across the business. We know there is still a long way to go.

In your short time at Apadmi so far, what has struck you most about the business?

I’ve been really impressed with the culture. Everyone is so passionate about the company and what we do. We have a social team, the Culture Club, which is responsible for organising events and making sure people are able to carve out time which isn’t just about work.

Also our technical capability is clearly at the forefront of this industry. It’s been great to understand more about some of the work we’re doing across such a range of sectors: from helping with organ donations for the NHS to dealing with multiple data points for high tech racing boats for SailGP.

Finally it’s been lovely to see the trust we have in our people. Both in terms of trusting in our workforce to get the job done while making sure their needs match those of the business, and the trust our clients show in us as a result.

If you want to find out more about joining the Apadmi adventure, get in touch or check out our current job openings here.