Spotlight on Charlotte Croffie

This week the spotlight is on Charlotte Croffie, Head of Organisational Development, UCL Human Resources.

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am the Head of Organisational Development and a member of the Human Resources Leadership Team. Under Nigel Waugh, Director of Human Resources, we lead the HR division in its endeavour to make UCL the most exciting university to partner with and work at in the world.

I lead a team of professionals committed to delivering quality services worthy of the people that we recruit and robust enough to enhance the capacity and maximise the potential of the people that we have and want to retain. 

We do this by using a business partnering model. We work with colleagues across UCL and with strategic partners to help create a culture and environment that not only reflects the ethos of UCL, but also builds platforms to support research, teaching and learning, innovation and cross-disciplinary collaborations. 

We host the Professional Development Programme, which is a suite of courses designed and commissioned to develop skills in a range of technical and non-technical areas. 

Coaching and mentoring, facilitation, brokerage and events are examples of some of the other services we provide. Please see the Organisational Development website for more information.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I have been with UCL since January 2012, so two years now. My previous role was working as an international consultant across Europe, Africa, Asia and the US.

I worked with a variety of clients, from permanent secretaries to executive teams, across a range of industries and sectors.

My roles typically focused on human resources, organisational development and design, learning and development, and equality and diversity areas, helping to build capacity to deal with fast-paced political, social, cultural and organisational change.

This was done using a variety of techniques, such as leading service areas, advising on large-scale (change) restructuring projects, designing, commissioning and facilitating specialist leadership/management development programmes, executive coaching and leading peer reviews. 

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I will answer this in relation to the working achievements or initiatives that I am most proud of since I have been at UCL. 

This is a hard one for me to answer, as there are a number of things I am proud of. I guess the common theme among them is that they have all resulted in colleagues across UCL being able to improve their ability to manage change, improve performance, respect difference and make a positive impact in a range of areas.

If I were to name three, they would be the Strategic Leadership Programme, the Inter-University Graduate Programme and overseeing the work of a remarkable team.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list

The Organisational Development Team is working on a number of projects and initiatives at present, and I am leading a few of these. 

One of these projects is the Leadership and Management Framework. This is a suite of programmes designed to support colleagues to enhance their skills for managing and leading themselves, others, resources and expectations.

All of the programmes have a common theme in that they are shaped around UCL's vision for the future. The programmes we have on offer are available for staff from grade five up to grade 10. 

In addition, the programmes also support our various equality agendas, so we have specific programmes for women and BME.

I am currently reviewing the success of the framework in a bid to explore opportunities to ensure that we are able to capture the needs of all staff groups.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, the book by Lew Wallace. I also enjoyed the film starring Charlton Heston.

Another film would be The Lion King. I enjoyed the theatre production as well. 

Although these are different in style and content, they both resonate with me as they are about self-awareness, building resilience and managing change - important features in any role today and essential for a healthy work-life balance and wellbeing.

I have so many albums that I listen to across different genres that it's hard for me to choose one album as my favourite.

What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?

I really don't have one!

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

My grandma and great grandmother, as they were both real matriarchs of their time. 

It would be interesting to compare the lives, challenges and joys of a bygone age with the ones that we face today and see what we can learn from their experiences.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be inquisitive, explore possibilities, take calculated risks, acknowledge that people's differences can also be their strengths, laugh more and laugh longer.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

Not sure how to answer this one.

What is your favourite place?

That is a simple one for me - home.