154 | Step-by-Step Career Advice to Become a Successful CHRO/CPO (With Nicola Lyons)
HR Coffee Time26 Sep 2025

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
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.


Other Relevant HR Coffee Time Episodes
Enjoyed This Episode? Don’t Miss the Next One!

Sign up to the free weekly HR Coffee Time email to be notified when new episodes are released – and get free career tips, tools, and resources.

Mentioned in this episode:

Learn More About HR Coffee Time's Sponsor - Personio

Personio

Avsnitt(166)

135 | Why & how to support women experiencing the menopause at work, with Emma Thomas

135 | Why & how to support women experiencing the menopause at work, with Emma Thomas

Menopause is a topic that impacts everyone in the HR and People profession, whether personally or through supporting colleagues. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, host Fay Wallis is joined by Emma Th...

27 Sep 202430min

134 | Creating an HR strategy: how to get started when you’re feeling stuck

134 | Creating an HR strategy: how to get started when you’re feeling stuck

If you need to create an HR or People strategy but are feeling completely stuck, this episode of HR Coffee Time is here to help. Host Fay Wallis, a career and leadership coach for HR and People profes...

13 Sep 202416min

133 | How to Deliver Brilliant Presentations That Win Over Hearts and Minds, with Emma Serlin

133 | How to Deliver Brilliant Presentations That Win Over Hearts and Minds, with Emma Serlin

Want to know the secret to delivering presentations that truly captivate your audience? In this episode of HR Coffee Time, we explore how to craft and deliver presentations that resonate deeply and wi...

30 Aug 202429min

132 | Strategic Workforce Planning – Why It’s Important and How to Improve Your Skills, With Jen Allen Jardine

132 | Strategic Workforce Planning – Why It’s Important and How to Improve Your Skills, With Jen Allen Jardine

Whether you’d like to learn more about how to use Strategic Workforce Planning in your current role or considering whether specialising in Strategic Workforce Planning could be the perfect career opti...

16 Aug 202437min

131 | Coaching Demystified: What to Expect and Tips for a Successful Session

131 | Coaching Demystified: What to Expect and Tips for a Successful Session

Thinking about booking a coaching session but not sure what to expect? Or maybe you've already arranged some coaching sessions and want to make sure you get the most out of them. This episode of HR Co...

2 Aug 202420min

130 | Build managers’ confidence and skills with ‘the coaching two-step’, with Jude Sclater

130 | Build managers’ confidence and skills with ‘the coaching two-step’, with Jude Sclater

You may have heard that coaching skills can be incredibly helpful for managers to have in their toolbox, boosting their confidence and effectiveness in their roles. But why are these skills so useful,...

19 Juli 202435min

129 | 5 essential techniques to become a great manager, with James Rose

129 | 5 essential techniques to become a great manager, with James Rose

How do you develop the people within your workforce to become great managers? Poor management negatively impacts everyone, often resulting in the HR/People team having to help with performance issues,...

5 Juli 202440min

128 | How to unlock the strengths that dyslexia brings to your workplace, with Kirsty Heap

128 | How to unlock the strengths that dyslexia brings to your workplace, with Kirsty Heap

Dyslexia, often misunderstood and underappreciated, holds a wealth of untapped potential for the workplace. In this episode of HR Coffee Time, we explore how to appreciate and unlock the unique streng...

21 Juni 202432min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
badfluence
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-svart-marknad
rss-borsens-finest
avanzapodden
svd-tech-brief
uppgang-och-fall
rss-dagen-med-di
fill-or-kill
lastbilspodden
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
dynastin
24fragor
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
rss-den-nya-ekonomin
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
bathina-en-podcast
borsmorgon