Ruth joined Croda in 2006
Innovation you can build on?
Innovation you can build on?
Ruth joined Croda in 2006
2006
I joined Croda in 2006, I didn’t know much about the Company prior to joining but I was impressed by the people I met at the recruitment day and everything I read when I was doing my research for my interview. After a long assessment day it was great to hear I had got the job. In this role I looked after recruitment for our UK Based sites, it was a steep learning curve to understand the Croda business, which is quite complex, but a great to regularly visit all of our sites and get to know the people. I had great support from both my line manager, and other managers in the business and I quickly felt part of the Croda family.
2007
Shortly after I joined Croda we acquired Uniqema, this changed the face of the Company overnight and also my role. I found I was regularly travelling around Europe running and implementing recruitment processes and as my manager left for maternity leave I also took on responsibility for the Croda Graduate scheme which added a whole new set of responsibilities to my role.
2007 - 2010
Croda supported me to gain accreditation with the British Psychological Society which meant not only was I fully accredited to administer aptitude and psychometric tests but I could also ensure that we were selecting the right ones to use at our recruitment events. I kept the title of HR Advisor- Recruitment but my role didn’t stay the same. I took on management responsibility, started to travel beyond Europe and got involved in some really exciting projects such as the development of a new appraisal system.
2011
This was an evolution of my current role and really reflected the change in both the business and Global HR in improving our processes and systems for people across our business. We have launched both a Latin American and Asian Graduate Programme, as well as increasing the numbers of graduates from European countries other than the UK. I can say that no two days are ever the same and I feel really lucky to have such a rewarding and challenging role.
2013
I completed the CIPD Advanced Level Award in Resourcing and Talent Management which is a post graduate level qualification. This has given me the external accreditation and opportunity to look at how other global organisations manage their resourcing and talent management strategies.
2014
In 2014 I took a change of direction and moved to the role of European HR Director. In this role I am responsible for the oversight and regional leadership of Human Resources across Europe including the management of compensation and benefits, training & development, recruitment, talent management and succession, policies and procedures and mobility. I work closely with the regional leadership and HR teams in ensuring an aligned HR strategy for the region. The role is extremely varied and no two days are ever the same which I love.