Our integration and beyond

Eleanor Phillips, Group HR Director, Informa Group, London

Eleanor Phillips was appointed as Informa’s Group HR Director to support the expanded Group. We began the conversation asking Eleanor what were the two things that encouraged her to take on her new role.

Two? That’s hard. Beyond the role itself, the great thing about working at Informa is the strength of our heritage and the cultures of new organisations joining the expanded Group. The language and actions from the outset supported the combination of the two companies, taking the best from both. It’s not always the easiest path to take but so often it’s the cleverest.There is still a way to go but I think we’re doing this well and our Culture is the better for it. Secondly, I enjoyed the last four years working for a company that had a real soul. I have found the same here. We make things work, build trusting relationships and have a natural belief in each other. There is an authenticity in who we are and what we do.

How successful do you think the expansion of the Group has been and what have you learnt personally?

Financially, the results are starting to tell a story but ultimate success is so much more than this. Just over six months after completion, the organisation feels like it is knitting in to one. Colleagues should be proud of their heritage but are increasingly identifying with Informa. Our colleague engagement survey, completed at the end of the year, showed colleague teams joining into the expanded Group are some of the most engaged. That speaks to the thoughtfulness given to how we combined as two companies, finding the right balance between people and process.

So what is your mandate in your new role?

Simply, for the HR team and me to play our part in providing an environment where colleagues can be both themselves and their very best. We have the scale and depth of talent now to be able to grow from within and some great examples like our graduate and apprentice programmes of where we have successfully done this. Scaling solutions and services that support the development of colleagues at Informa will be important, whilst recognising and supporting the fact that we are all different, with different wants and needs.