#449 – Ian Pilbeam – HR on Auto Pilot

HR on Auto Pilot

Ian Pilbeam left a corporate HR role in the public sector, formed his own business, The HR Dept, then made it run without him so he can travel the world

Summary of the Podcast

Introductions and technical setup

• The meeting begins with Ian, Kevin, and Graham introducing themselves and getting their video and audio setups working.
• They discuss some technical issues like camera orientation and lighting.

Ian’s business journey

• Ian shares how he transitioned from a career in public sector HR to starting his own HR outsourcing business called The HR Department 10 years ago.
• He describes the process of building the business to operate without him, including hiring talent, implementing systems, and cultivating the right company culture.

The importance of company culture

• Ian emphasises the critical role of company culture in enabling his business to run smoothly without him.
• He explains how he involved his team in defining the company’s core values and ensures they are actively lived by the employees.

Transitioning leadership and letting go 

• Ian discusses the challenges of transitioning leadership and fully stepping away from the business he founded.
• He shares how he built trust with his successor through hands-on training and scenario planning, and how events like the COVID-19 pandemic required him to temporarily step back in.

Ian’s lifestyle and travel

• Ian describes his current lifestyle, which involves spending about a third of the year in Edinburgh, a third in Italy, and the remaining third traveling to various destinations.
• He explains how this lifestyle is enabled by the self-sustaining nature of his HR business.

The evolving HR landscape

• Ian discusses how the HR landscape has become more complex in recent years, with increased focus on mental health, work-from-home policies, and upcoming legislative changes.
• He explains how this has increased demand for the outsourced HR services his company provides.

Clips from the Podcast

Escape Story

Testimonial

The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers.  MicroMailings is his new low risk, done for you marketing solution for companies seeking high net worth leads. He is also founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, which combines the world’s biggest source of 10,000 marketing experiments with AI. Find Graham on LinkedIn.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He’s the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com