154 | Step-by-Step Career Advice to Become a Successful CHRO/CPO (With Nicola Lyons)

What does it take to land your first Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) or Chief People Officer (CPO) role – and succeed once you’re in it?

In this episode of HR Coffee Time, host Fay Wallis is joined by Nicola Lyons, Group CHRO at Getlink Group. With more than 15 years of international experience leading transformation and culture change, Nicola shares a wide range of valuable insights from her career. One of the highlights of this conversation is her clear, step-by-step advice on how to secure a CHRO/CPO role and succeed once you’re in it.

From career planning and building visibility, to working with headhunters and handling the step up, Nicola’s guidance is packed with practical tips you can put into action straight away.

You’ll hear Nicola’s thoughts on:

• What makes her role as Group CHRO unique
• How her network opened the door to her first CHRO opportunity
• Smart ways to build visibility with headhunters and recruiters
• The value of career planning and feedback in preparing for the step up
• The biggest shift when moving into a CHRO role
• Practical habits that support success and wellbeing

Whether you’re aiming for a CPO/CHRO position or want to strengthen your career in HR, you’ll come away with a wealth of actionable insights from Nicola’s experience.

Useful Links

• Connect with Fay Wallis on LinkedIn
• Visit Fay’s website
• Learn about Fay’s Inspiring HR leadership development programme
• Buy a copy of The Essential HR Planner
• Connect with Nicola Lyons on LinkedIn

Books Mentioned in This Episode

Please note - book links are Amazon affiliate links. This means Fay may earn a small commission from Amazon if you make a purchase through them.

• Your First 100 Days– Niamh O’Keeffe
• The Strategy Book– Dr Max McKeown
• Head and Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership– Kirstin Ferguson

Other Relevant HR Coffee Time Episodes

• Episode 31: Three Little-Known LinkedIn Features to Help You Get Your Next Job
• Episode 106: Seven Types of Posts to Share on LinkedIn That Will Help Your HR Career
• Episode 78: 5 Tips to Get Useful Feedback at Work to Help Your HR/People Career
• Episode 37: The First 100 Days Plan to Succeed in Your New HR Leadership Role (With Niamh O’Keeffe)
• Episode 108: HR Leadership: How to Create a Simple but Powerful One-Page Strategy (With Dr Max McKeown)

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