Fiona Glendinning
Sydney,NSW
Summary
Accomplished strategic leader driving organizational success and promoting team collaboration. Skilled in developing and implementing high-impact strategies, ensuring operational excellence, and adapting to dynamic business environments. Exceptional communicator with expertise in project management and stakeholder engagement, consistently delivering measurable results. Seasoned executive with a broad and commercial background across Australia, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the United States. Experience spans private and public sectors, including start-ups, partnerships, government, and corporate entities. Brings together commercial acumen with a client focus in execution. Collaborates with executive teams and Boards, leading teams ranging from 5 to 3,000+. Excels as both an individual contributor and a leader of teams of 3 to 200 staff.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Director, People, Culture & Capability
NSW Department of Education
07.2023 - Current
- The role provides high-level strategic leadership in the development and implementation of human resource strategies, plans, policies and programs across the Department to enable and support high-performing and engaged employees to deliver on the NSW Plan for Public Education
- I currently lead a team of approximately 200 staff covering Recruitment, Talent Management, HR Systems, Business Partnering, Culture, Talent & Diversity, Learning, HR Systems, Performance & Accreditation for the NSW Department of Education
- This covers activities in front of and behind the school gates
- This role reports to the Deputy Secretary & Chief People Officer and has constant engagement with the Secretary and other Deputy Secretaries in the department and NESA as the regulator and peak bodies such as AECG.
- I have also acted as Deputy Secretary/Chief People Officer for the NSW Department of Education
- Responsibilities include enabling the development of a high-performance culture across the Department, driving departmental human resource activities, leading support for operational workforces, shaping the Division's strategic framework, and creating an environment that fosters accountability for performance
Head of People & Culture, Asia Pacific & Japan
CoachHub
12.2021 - 05.2023
- The Head of People is responsible for developing and delivering the people strategy to support the rapid growth of the SaaS business 'CoachHub' across Asia Pacific
- Also acted in business advisory capacity with sales team to create and support software implementation
- This involved leading a team of people professionals including Compensation & Benefits, Talent Acquisition and Business Partners
- This role also had oversight of the establishment of offices in key locations within the region and IT reporting to the German founder based in Berlin
- Responsibilities included developing and leading APAC-wide strategic people, cultural change and transformation programs, establishing a presence across countries, designing compensation and benefits strategy, managing employee relations issues, partnering with senior leaders, completing HR metrics measures, and supporting leaders with career planning
Chief Experience Officer - People & Client
MinterEllison
08.2014 - 12.2021
- Appointed as the first and only Chief Experience Officer in the Australian legal industry, I was responsible for leading the firm's efforts to differentiate itself based on the quality of the service experience it offers its clients and the employment/career experience it offers its people
- The goal of this effort is to create a culture and standard of service delivery that builds upon the firm's reputation, improves client satisfaction, increases employee engagement and retention, strengthens the firm's brand, creates a genuine point of differentiation, and improves the bottom line
- Responsibilities included developing and leading firm-wide strategic cultural change and transformation programs, consulting with clients, developing operational plans, providing executive support to the CEO, and identifying ways to improve service offerings
Director, People & Client Experience, Asia Pacific
PwC
07.2010 - 07.2014
- Internal consulting organisation that led Network-wide behaviour change to continually improve the experience of people and clients and for this to reflect in brand and revenue metrics, people engagement and client loyalty scores
- Responsibilities included leading and delivering strategic cultural change programs across 10+ countries, empowering teams to adopt changed behaviours, leading a team of internal consultants, enabling best practice sharing, and designing executive leadership development
Director, Global Strategy & Transformation
PwC
07.2008 - 07.2010
- Responsibilities included leading components of the global transformation program, acting as 'chief of staff' for the first Global Managing Partner, and working with stakeholders to ensure alignment and impact
Vice President Human Resources Asia Pacific & Japan
Gartner Inc.
06.2004 - 07.2006
- The Human Resources function was a team of 12 people that sat across all key HR functions
- It included the responsibilities of recruitment, mobility, performance management, compensation management, employee relations, learning and development, and organisational development
- Responsibilities included leading, developing and implementing the Asia Pacific People Strategy, providing strategic advice to the executive leadership team, and managing HR deliverables
Director Human Resources
Sun Microsystems
06.1999 - 06.2004
Human Resources Manager, Northern
Westpac Banking Corporation
03.1997 - 06.1999
Education
Masters of Management -
Macquarie Graduate School of Management
01.2002
Graduate Certificate - Human Resources
Sydney Institute of Technology
01.1996
Bachelor of Arts/Laws -
Macquarie University
01.1994
Skills
- Stakeholder Engagement - across all levels of seniority (public/private) to achieve outcomes
- Business Advisory Services - understanding client needs and delivering outcomes
- Strategic Operational Planning - designing and developing strategy that is human centred
- Strategic Program Leadership - delivering and leading programs of work to execute strategy
Personal Information
Place of Birth: NSW
Timeline
Executive Director, People, Culture & Capability
NSW Department of Education
07.2023 - Current
Head of People & Culture, Asia Pacific & Japan
CoachHub
12.2021 - 05.2023
Chief Experience Officer - People & Client
MinterEllison
08.2014 - 12.2021
Director, People & Client Experience, Asia Pacific
PwC
07.2010 - 07.2014
Director, Global Strategy & Transformation
PwC
07.2008 - 07.2010
Vice President Human Resources Asia Pacific & Japan
Gartner Inc.
06.2004 - 07.2006
Director Human Resources
Sun Microsystems
06.1999 - 06.2004
Human Resources Manager, Northern
Westpac Banking Corporation
03.1997 - 06.1999
Masters of Management -
Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Graduate Certificate - Human Resources
Sydney Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Arts/Laws -
Macquarie University
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