Simon Grosse, our CEO, Laura Carey, our Head of People Operations and Charlee Lockhart, our Head of Client Services, have all been recognised by Inspiring Workplaces™ in their 2021 Inspiring Leaders awards.
It was our first time entering Inspiring Workplaces™ and we feel a huge sense of pride to see three members of our team awarded this recognition.
Simon Grosse, our CEO, Laura Carey, our Head of People Operations and Charlee Lockhart, our Head of Client Services, have all been recognised by Inspiring Workplaces™ in their 2021 Inspiring Leaders awards.
The Inspiring Leaders awards recognise those who have demonstrated four essential qualities, making them an Inspiring Leader: humanity, courage, communication and empowerment. The awards have recognised 44 people, at all levels in organisations across the globe, who were truly inspirational in 2021.
Ruth Dance, Managing Director of the IW Academy said, “In a time when budgets are stretched and the financial effects of COVID are being hit, these leaders put less focus on financial results and much more on the welfare of their people.”
FSP are committed to providing an inclusive environment that supports people to thrive at work and to be inspired by the purpose and impact of our efforts for clients and our community.
Here’s what some of their colleagues had to say about FSP’s Inspiring Leaders:
Emma Patterson – commercial support manager, on behalf of Simon Grosse, CEO
“Simon has always encouraged everyone in his FSP family to “Be brave. Be curious”. Never has this been more relevant than in the last 18 months where he has had the courage and incisive foresight to make frequent and important decisions based on no precedent (hands up who had a global pandemic in their forecast?!).
Before the pandemic, Simon didn’t have an ‘open office door’ policy – simply because he didn’t have an office. He always sat amongst everyone, seeing how they were doing, asking questions, giving advice and keeping on top of the latest pulse and rhythm of the FSP family.
This philosophy has continued throughout these extraordinarily challenging 18 months since March 2020. From the very first hint of the situation, it was clear that he had a plan – a plan that was inclusive, considered, empowering and well-communicated to everyone in the organisation.
Simon immediately made everyone feel safe and secure by sending us all home before lockdown and stating very clearly that nobody would be furloughed, and nobody’s job was at risk. A bold statement that he stood by throughout the whole period.
This was immediately followed by frequent and open communications with the whole organisation; he shared not only his carefully researched plans but was also completely honest when there was uncertainty and doubt. However, he was always certain that by being brave and empowering his staff and listening and acting upon their feedback, we would not only survive, but we would emerge triumphant. Which we did!”
Lucy Mouring, Office Manager, on behalf of Laura Carey, Partner – People Operations
“Since joining FSP in August 2019 I have worked very closely with Laura. Having never worked in the Tech industry, it was fascinating to hear Laura’s journey and how she has flourished. She made it very clear that women are needed and respected in the Tech industry and welcomed me into the business in a genuinely collaborative and compassionate way and encouraged me to be my true self.
Laura recognised that I had a similar spark in me and the same passion for positivity and creativity. She unleashed a level of confidence in me and has got me involved in so many different areas of the business that have helped develop my confidence. I would say that now I am flourishing and achieving more than I ever thought I was capable of.
Laura isn’t just inspiring and engaging, she is the very essence of FSP. She is bold, brave and daring and constantly strives to roll out positive change throughout the organization, embedding the company values into everything she does.
I am so glad that I met Laura, she has made me the person I am today. She recognizes that we are all human and that occasionally we have bad days; However, she is the first to help people pull up their socks and get back on it!”
Lara Walker, Graduate Technical Consultant, Early Careers Team, on behalf of Charlee Lockhart, Partner – Delivery Management & Client Services
“Charlee has definitely been an inspiring leader to me. In a time where there was a lot of uncertainty, she managed to build a team from scratch, embed us in a new work environment and help us find our feet. She also led by example, being a true role model to her team who are all early in their careers. The example she set for me, was to be authentic, humble, a team player and hardworking. She listened to us when we were stressed, confused and unsure and logically explained things, while remaining patient.
Charlee was also able to build trust with me really easily, which was the foundation of her enabling an environment where I was able to learn quickly and feel supported to take on more responsibility. With Charlee’s support, I successfully managed an overnight deployment for one of our clients. She supported me in the preparation leading up to it and gave me the challenge to lead it myself. Because of her example, I believed in myself to take on this responsibility only a few months into my new role.
One of the most inspiring things is that she motivated me, empowered me and believed in me to take on new challenges and work outside of my comfort zone, therefore, supporting me to gain new skills. For example, with Charlee’s influence, I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and speak at FSP’s Unity 2021 event with René Carayol, speaking in front of over 100 of my colleagues about my experience at FSP. This is something I couldn’t have done without Charlee’s support – she took time out of her busy schedule for me to run through my speech multiple times. At the FSP awards evening that same day I won the Rising Star award. This award was for the person showing great promise, always looking to improve, who aligns themselves and the organisation for future success. It is thanks to Charlee’s tutelage under which I was able to fulfil my potential and to ultimately, win this award.”