We’re giving you a look into the people of Skyrise. This time we caught up with the person who is responsible more than most for people being “SkyRisers”. Carly Barnard is People Director. She tells us what it’s like working with family and dancing in supermarkets…
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?
I’m Carly the People Director, at Skyrise. I’m responsible for making sure we have happy and healthy people in the business, and for bringing our values to life. I was employee number one at Regital (after the co-founders) so hopefully I have a good grasp on things after 10 years!
My role is to make sure we’re constantly cultivating an environment where people care. That involves creating a positive workspace, making sure the guys have access to workshops and training. I like to think our values are weaved into our everyday life here at Skyrise. That’s success for me.
How did you get started in digital marketing?
After graduating I started at an independent agency that specialised in social advertising. It was 2008 when social media was seeing huge growth, and the company had exclusive deals ‘in the north’ with Facebook and Microsoft. It was a general graduate role, mainly providing support to the accounts team. As it was a small team I was involved in cross-function activity, so I was also helping with planning and client services. It was a great time to work in social advertising and a great learning curve for me as a young graduate. I got to work with some fantastic brands, and see inside some fabulous London office spaces.
What are good skills for your role?
You have to be interested in people. That means understanding that everyone is an individual and what motivates some people won’t interest others. I want to help people to be themselves, as that is when people excel. To do that you need to understand them. You also need to care. That sounds like such an obvious thing, but you have to care to help people succeed. It’s that simple.
I’m extremely proud of the people who we’ve developed and given an opportunity over the years. There are people thriving in their careers, both who are still here and those who’ve moved on. I’m equally proud of those colleagues that contributed to the Regital and Skyrise journey, watch them grow and move elsewhere. I wouldn’t want to be part of a business that didn’t wish people the best. Friends at work are often friends for life. People move on. That’ll never change. It’s part of the job. It’s part of life.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Empathetic. Easy-going. Reliable.
What are you into – tell us about your interests?
Myself and Paul (my husband and also my boss!) have always been interested in house renovations. Away from work and family, that has definitely taken up most of my time since we started. We’ve worked on five houses in just over a decade, and we’ve just moved into number six. It’s not without its trials and tribulations (aka stress) but I absolutely love it. When the kids go to bed I’m usually head down looking at pictures in a home magazine or scouring Pinterest. I love a Pinterest board.
What’s your proudest moment?
You’re always proud of family and friends, and obviously my children, but my recent proudest moment was celebrating Regital turning 10. I was really emotional and choked. I was thinking about how far the business went, and how hard everyone worked to get us there. More importantly I’m proud of the memories we made. It’s been so much fun along the way, and I’m looking forward to creating lots of new memories now we’re Skyrise.
What’s the best thing about working here?
I’m going to be predictable and say – the people. We’ve got such a good team. Everyone takes so much pride in their work. We place a lot of emphasis on culture during recruitment, and it definitely helps. I’m also very lucky that I get to work with my family. I totally get that it would not be for everyone, but I do think it’s lovely.
What’s the strangest food you’ve eaten?
I’ve eaten quite a few while I was thinking about it. Crocodile, Ostrich, Kangaroo, Moose, Reindeer…this makes me sound really bad! The Crocodile burger was the strangest, it tasted like chicken and tuna in one go!
What is your desert island disc?
Candy by Cameo
Tell us something that would surprise people about you
I used to dance for years. All kinds really, Disco, Ballroom and Latin. I used to practise the waltz in the aisle in Tesco during the big-shop when we were kids. I’d fancy myself in an inter-company Strictly competition if I was ever given the chance.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I had such a secure and stable upbringing. I had role models, and I was so safe and loved. I now try to do the same thing for my children, but I’m very aware not all children have that luxury. Every child is born innocent. We’d have a more content world if we made child safety and security a priority, as people would grow up happier and healthier.
