The remarkable growth of Iris Waterman– From HR graduate to international people system transformation.
Remarkable stories
We wanted to share the experiences of our remarkable people. Their stories have helped shape our Employer Brand and we wanted to share their life at work with the world. In this story, we caught up with Iris Waterman who talked about her past three years with AS Watson. From joining as a business analyst and taking part in the Young Talent Program to transforming our group people systems. Iris tells us about her remarkable story of personal growth, exciting opportunities and international friendships.
A remarkable journey
"I graduated from University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands with a degree in Human Resource Management. Soon after I got a job at a start up in a role related to technology and data in HR, and after a while, I took a sales role within the same business. After a couple of years, I knew that I wanted to explore new opportunities and to get close to HR work again, so when an opportunity for a Business Analyst role to develop and optimise HR processes and systems came up at the Benelux office, I decided to go for it. I’m so glad that I did because the past three years have been full of so many amazing opportunities and I haven’t looked back!
As soon as I joined AS Watson, I was able to join the Young Talent Program, which is a year-long training program that focuses on personal leadership, skills development, knowledge of the retail market, critical business processes and sustainability. This was such an incredible opportunity to learn crucial elements of the business."
An international opportunity
"Not long after, one of my colleagues at the London office asked me if I’d be interested in covering her role while she was on maternity leave. Suddenly, at twenty-six years old I went from working in a small office near home, to spending the next ten months commuting to and from London, in a cool job as a People Systems Lead. I’d gone from working with a single business unit to working with people all over Europe and becoming responsible for consulting with business units all over Europe about their HR architecture, building our Group roadmap based on that and managing the execution. I’m so grateful that the business invested in me, as opposed to bringing in a contractor, and to have been given such a great learning opportunity in a such a huge international city, it’s something that I’ll never forget."
A remarkable role
"I loved my time in London working with the UK team so much that I didn’t want to leave, and the incredible thing is I haven’t had to. The business created a new role for me as People Systems Project Manager within the same team. Now I’m managing international transformations within the HR technology and analytics domain and working with all business units throughout Europe, such as Kruidvat, Marionnaud and Superdrug. I’m based at home in the Netherlands but often travel over to London to be with the team and work closely with the HR team. It’s the best of both worlds and I absolutely love it!"
A remarkable team
"One of the best things about working here, aside from the many opportunities I’ve had to grow my skills, is the team. Everyone is welcoming, encouraging and friendly, and more than that I count my teammates as friends. Whenever I come over to London, me and my team explore different amazing restaurants and cuisines to try. It’s become our monthly tradition. Our HR director is also amazing and very keen on continuous improvement, and something that I love is that she is genuinely interested to hear my opinion and ideas."
A world of investment
"Something that’s quite remarkable about working here is the amount of investment that AS Watson will make to help you become the best you can be. Ever since I joined, I’ve been given so many opportunities to improve myself, learn various elements of the business and even work in a different country. What’s amazing is that people here will always look to give you a chance, by creating new opportunities and ensuring that you can keep on improving and growing your skills. They also look after your wellbeing, and now that I work from home for most of the month, I have a surrogate team that I work alongside so that I don’t feel isolated."
Be remarkable. Be yourself.
"If I could say anything to anyone who is thinking of applying for a job with AS Watson, it’s please do it! It is going to give you the chance to create a great career in an organisation with people that really care for you and who will give you so many opportunities to grow, explore and develop."
Iris has just been promoted to People System Manager within AS Watson Group! A great next step in her remarkable journey at AS Watson.
