Name: Andrea Richardson
Job title: Head of People
Started working with Grey Wolf in: 2020
My name is Andrea Richardson and I am Grey Wolf’s Head of People. I am a chartered HR professional, qualified to interpret psychometric tests as well as being a mental health first aider. I have been working with Grey Wolf for just over one year.
Prior to joining Grey Wolf, I was a self-employed HR consultant for a number of years. Before this, I was HR Director for a national laundry company with responsibility for UK, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland.
I started working with Grey Wolf in early 2020 as HR Consultant, 1-2 days per week. While I was always made to feel part of the team, it is difficult to fully embed into a company with such limited availability.
As the company grew, an opportunity arose for me to work with the team on a permanent basis and I was delighted to accept the position as Head of People in May 2021. Since this time, I have been involved in numerous initiatives to support the evolution of the company and its employees. An example of this is asking every member of the team (including the executive team) to complete a DISC profile which measures four behavioural tendencies (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness) and explores how they may come together to create your personality. This was followed by a workshop where we explored our profiles and discussed how we might communicate more effectively with one another.
As an executive team, we worked hard to bring the team together while we were all working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have had a number of new people join us during this period, so it was important to make sure they felt part of the team right from the start. Through individual coaching and regular check-ins, I have been able to support the team through this period and help them develop in their roles. I am proud of what we have achieved so far and look forward to the next few years.
Everyone is so passionate about the work that they are doing – it’s brilliant! We are all committed to making this a great place to work. I also love working for a company who are striving to generate world leading medicines that improve the lives of patients with cancer. I think this gives everyone a sense of purpose and is the reason why we live our values every day; Excellence, Teamwork and Innovation.
There is also a huge amount of trust and respect for each other between the teams. Everyone works hard and is accountable, however we are also inclusive and transparent. The teams are open to new ideas and are always seeking to lead the way in all aspects of the business.
There are a lot of transferable skills in HR. However, if you would like to work for a biotech company, it is useful to understand how these companies run, so be curious and do some research into this! Think about how your skills can help support the company and the teams achieve their goals. You can have a real impact and learn something new along the way – I’m certainly learning new scientific terms every day!
When I’m not working, you can find me doing yoga classes and long walks. I love travelling, exploring new places and meeting local people. My creative side likes cooking, gardening and interior design.
