“On the back of this, businaesses and employees can get so much closer to a shared agenda even through tough employee relations issues around working arrangements.”
Talking to Utility Week ahead of his appearance at the HR Forum, Harris shares his perspective on the key challenges facing utilities businesses today. “One of the most challenging things is to make sure that we have a good balance between new and old blood in any working organisation as trends change so quickly and a good mix helps keep a business in tune,” he says. “I also think that making sure that, right from the top through to the front line, we have leaders in place who are operationally and commercially strong, but also really people savvy and engaging, is crucial in modern times.”
Personal notes
What have been the best and worst moments of your professional life?
Worst: in any career you get many ups and downs and when leading on internal comms they are pretty visible to all – in my world I feel you are only as good as your last job. I guess the worst times have always been linked to having a leader who I can’t relate to or who doesn’t match or work with my style.
Best: the launch of a new Openreach business within BT was a very big deal and I led on the internal comms for that across a 34,000-people business. We merged two big front line units and created a wholesale arm that went and sold telecoms services to a number of suppliers – BT, Sky and many more.
Name five people you would invite to your ideal networking dinner and why.
Ian Botham. He is a cricketing legend and was amazing during my late teens and early 20s and a true character – not to everyone’s taste, but that was part of the attraction.
Boris Johnson. Not only does he have a great brain but he is a fab communicator too.
Michael Palin. He’s funny and he shares two of my passions, travelling and football.
Emily Eavis. It’s fascinating how the Glastonbury festival comes together – I still go and think I’m cool! What Emily and her team pull off is one of the ultimates in event and stakeholder management.
Jamie Oliver. He’d be a great cook and I like the fact that he started in the TV celebrity chef game so young and has developed so well.
Simon Harris, head of internal engagement, Severn Trent
The main event
The HR Forum is taking place in Birmingham on 9 September. For more information about the speakers and the agenda, visit:
www.utilityweek.co.uk/event