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Senior communications and culture change consultant
Sarah Varney
,
London, United Kingdom
Experience
Other titles
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I'm offering
I'm an experienced communications, change and talent consultant drawing on a rich mix of consultancy, in-house and agency roles over the past 19 years. I help organisations connect with their employees through their people programmes to create a better work experience, that embeds purpose, attracts, engages and retains talent and fosters meaningful learning and sustainable culture and behaviour change.
At Willis Towers Watson, a leading HR consultancy, I was a member of the Talent & Reward leadership team and the strategic lead for WTW’s internal people programmes in EMEA. This included senior stakeholder management and influencing; creating, designing and leading a consumer-grade L&D programme; leading and inspiring the people management community; and delivering recruitment, onboarding, coaching and mentoring initiatives.
My client-facing role at WTW involved generating new business and new service propositions, leading client accounts, building deep client relationships and overseeing the delivery of communications and change projects across the HR and people spectrum (for example, launching new vision and values, M&A and culture integration, employee experience, pension or benefit change, compensation and reward strategy, career development and job architecture, gender pay gap, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity programmes, HR policy and contract change, business continuity).
My client portfolio is broad and I have worked across industries at a global level with senior stakeholders at Openreach, UK Government, Royal Mail, Comcast NBCUniversal, Pearson, Deutsche Bank, Visa, AmEx, KONE, Heathrow Airport, ING, BNP Paribas and Tiffany & Co.
Working freelance allows me to bring my strong background in coaching and managing consultants, leading client relationships, overseeing delivery of work and winning new business to a more diverse array of projects and challenges.
Whatever your challenge, I'm happy to share strategic advice over a coffee. I can help with all aspects of the communications journey, from ideas and concept generation, to copywriting and proofreading through to leading complex global campaigns, projects and workstreams.
At Willis Towers Watson, a leading HR consultancy, I was a member of the Talent & Reward leadership team and the strategic lead for WTW’s internal people programmes in EMEA. This included senior stakeholder management and influencing; creating, designing and leading a consumer-grade L&D programme; leading and inspiring the people management community; and delivering recruitment, onboarding, coaching and mentoring initiatives.
My client-facing role at WTW involved generating new business and new service propositions, leading client accounts, building deep client relationships and overseeing the delivery of communications and change projects across the HR and people spectrum (for example, launching new vision and values, M&A and culture integration, employee experience, pension or benefit change, compensation and reward strategy, career development and job architecture, gender pay gap, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity programmes, HR policy and contract change, business continuity).
My client portfolio is broad and I have worked across industries at a global level with senior stakeholders at Openreach, UK Government, Royal Mail, Comcast NBCUniversal, Pearson, Deutsche Bank, Visa, AmEx, KONE, Heathrow Airport, ING, BNP Paribas and Tiffany & Co.
Working freelance allows me to bring my strong background in coaching and managing consultants, leading client relationships, overseeing delivery of work and winning new business to a more diverse array of projects and challenges.
Whatever your challenge, I'm happy to share strategic advice over a coffee. I can help with all aspects of the communications journey, from ideas and concept generation, to copywriting and proofreading through to leading complex global campaigns, projects and workstreams.
Markets
United Kingdom
Links for more
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Language
English
Fluently
Ready for
Larger project
Ongoing relation / part-time
Full time contractor
Available
My experience
2019 - 2019
freelance
Volunteer English Language Tutor
Speak in Italy Programme, Tuscany.
• Volunteer on an immersive language programme, in Italy, helping Italian professionals from a global HR/Payroll company practice English.
• Involved role plays, group discussions, one to one interviews and cultural/social activities to help the learners enhance fluency and confidence.
• Involved role plays, group discussions, one to one interviews and cultural/social activities to help the learners enhance fluency and confidence.
Social
2018 - 2019
freelance
Freelance Senior Culture Consultant
Kin&Co.
• Hired by Kin&Co (culture agency) to work exclusively on a six-month client project with the Fibre Network Delivery (FND) business in Openreach, helping them move towards a less hierarchical, self-organising business model, that involved defining and launching new business principles, evaluating their current culture and providing strategic behaviour change advice on tactics to embed new ways of working.
• Project management lead for Culture workstream, interfacing with client programme lead and strategic partners and vendors. Responsible for delivery of project plan, stakeholder management and key communication and engagement tools.
• Leading Culture Steering Group, employee listening strategy (executive team one-to-ones, telephone interviews, surveys, workshops) and theme/gap analysis to inform new principles.
• Responsible for coaching members of the executive team, providing regular strategic advice, measurement and culture-focused inspiration and thought leadership.
• Project management lead for Culture workstream, interfacing with client programme lead and strategic partners and vendors. Responsible for delivery of project plan, stakeholder management and key communication and engagement tools.
• Leading Culture Steering Group, employee listening strategy (executive team one-to-ones, telephone interviews, surveys, workshops) and theme/gap analysis to inform new principles.
• Responsible for coaching members of the executive team, providing regular strategic advice, measurement and culture-focused inspiration and thought leadership.
Project Management, Coaching, Management, Leadership, Network, Less, Workshops, Surveys
2015 - 2018
job
Communications & Change Management Director, Talent & Reward
Willis Towers Watson.
• Part of GB Talent and Reward business leadership team.
• Client and market facing, helping the GB business shape, win and deliver leading employee communications and engagement strategies.
• Leading a number of high-profile client accounts - developing client relationships, managing multiple client project teams and responsible for overall delivery of communications tools and experiences to employees of large-scale, complex, global organisations.
• Strategic lead for internal people programmes across EMEA (people management, learning and development, recruitment, onboarding, graduate programme, mentoring).
• People-managing four mid-level consultants, matrix-managing 14 consultants.
• Consulting across all aspects of communications and change management for HR and business transformation projects, including reward and performance, EVP and the employment deal, M&A and culture change, CSR and employee relations - helping connect employees with the purpose and goals of their organisation and feel proud, valued and engaged.
• Client and market facing, helping the GB business shape, win and deliver leading employee communications and engagement strategies.
• Leading a number of high-profile client accounts - developing client relationships, managing multiple client project teams and responsible for overall delivery of communications tools and experiences to employees of large-scale, complex, global organisations.
• Strategic lead for internal people programmes across EMEA (people management, learning and development, recruitment, onboarding, graduate programme, mentoring).
• People-managing four mid-level consultants, matrix-managing 14 consultants.
• Consulting across all aspects of communications and change management for HR and business transformation projects, including reward and performance, EVP and the employment deal, M&A and culture change, CSR and employee relations - helping connect employees with the purpose and goals of their organisation and feel proud, valued and engaged.
Change management, Consulting, Mentoring, CSR, Management, Leadership, M&A, People management, Onboarding, Recruitment, Transformation, Development, Organization
2009 - 2010
job
Internal Communications Account Manager
, Identity & Passport Service, The Home Office.
• Account manager for operational communications.
• Overseeing all events, films and face-to-face interventions, including monthly team briefs, senior leadership conferences and engagement training.
• Leading employee engagement survey communications (Civil Service People Survey). Used results and insights to create an IPS involvement strategy to improve engagement and leadership,
including designing and project managing 'Leading through change' workshops for 500 team leaders to encourage behavioural and culture change.
• Introducing the new UK passport in October 2010 - working with the Integrity & Security programme, Policy, External Communications and Stakeholder Communications teams on an
integrated campaign to prepare staff, borders agency and public for the updated passport.
• Managing a network of regional communications managers to ensure local buy-in to corporate messages. Hosting regular workshops to coach and mentor managers and share best practice.
• Managing the Involvement Manager and Events Manager.
• Overseeing all events, films and face-to-face interventions, including monthly team briefs, senior leadership conferences and engagement training.
• Leading employee engagement survey communications (Civil Service People Survey). Used results and insights to create an IPS involvement strategy to improve engagement and leadership,
including designing and project managing 'Leading through change' workshops for 500 team leaders to encourage behavioural and culture change.
• Introducing the new UK passport in October 2010 - working with the Integrity & Security programme, Policy, External Communications and Stakeholder Communications teams on an
integrated campaign to prepare staff, borders agency and public for the updated passport.
• Managing a network of regional communications managers to ensure local buy-in to corporate messages. Hosting regular workshops to coach and mentor managers and share best practice.
• Managing the Involvement Manager and Events Manager.
Training, Account Manager, Mentor, Leadership, Network, Employee Engagement, Service, Security, Hosting, Workshops, Coach, Office, Campaign, Manager
2005 - 2009
job
Campaigns Manager > Quality Manager, Internal Communications
Royal Mail.
• Lead role in managing and delivering all internal communications campaigns:
- 'Changing for good' integrated strategy campaign to engage people in the operational transformation and culture change required to realign business priorities.
- 'Be in to win' incentivised attendance campaign to reduce the number of incidental sick days taken. Integrated approach using poster and intranet teasers in the run up to scheme starting,
articles in key channels, event merchandise and winners' packs.
- 'Don't throw it all away' anti-strike campaign in July 2006 to support union negotiations.
• Launched, project-managed and edited Royal Mail's strategic and commercially-focused bi-monthly magazine Open, for all managers (circa 16k readership).
• Line-managed four Channels Support Managers and two Channels Executives.
- 'Changing for good' integrated strategy campaign to engage people in the operational transformation and culture change required to realign business priorities.
- 'Be in to win' incentivised attendance campaign to reduce the number of incidental sick days taken. Integrated approach using poster and intranet teasers in the run up to scheme starting,
articles in key channels, event merchandise and winners' packs.
- 'Don't throw it all away' anti-strike campaign in July 2006 to support union negotiations.
• Launched, project-managed and edited Royal Mail's strategic and commercially-focused bi-monthly magazine Open, for all managers (circa 16k readership).
• Line-managed four Channels Support Managers and two Channels Executives.
Event, It, Support, Poster, Transformation, BEE, Campaign, Manager, UP
My education
University of Liverpool
Bachelors, English Literature & Language
Bachelors, English Literature & Language
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