Direction Autumn 2023 - IoD Scotland members magazine

DIRECTION | THE LEADERSHIP INTERVIEW
www.iod.com/scotland
‘Everyone has
qualities and
value to add’
Edward Obi, founder and owner of HR Hub Plus, talks to Rob Beswick
about equality, diversity and inclusivity, and how far Scotland has to go
before it can be hailed as a truly inclusive society
Edward Obi’s view of EDI – Equality,
Diversity and Inclusivity, the phrase that
every boardroom should have at the
heart of its structure – is breathtakingly
straightforward.
“Many people I speak to seem to think
it’s complicated, that there is a secret to
making it work. But it’s simple: it’s all
about being open-minded and ensuring
that everyone involved with your
organisation feels empowered and
valued – whether they are working for
you, looking to work for, or engaging
with you as a stakeholder or customer.
“Once you get that principle
embedded in your thinking, the rest slots
into place.”
Too often he still sees firms hampered
by unconscious bias. “I see this in how
they value employees and in their
recruitment. Employers are put off by
surnames that sound ‘different’, possibly
African or Muslim, and start to imagine
that with the name comes problems or
challenges.
“You need to get past that and ask
yourself what that person can bring to
the table, what qualities they offer and
how you can use them to make your
business a better place to be. Don’t close
yourself off to talent just because it
comes from a different source.
“Everyone has something to offer.”
Edward – a south Londoner of
Nigerian heritage – has come a long way
with his two businesses, HR Hub Plus
and Peridot Recruit. The obvious first
question is, what’s a Streatham lad doing
in Aberdeen? “That’s easy,” he says,
laughing. “It’s just the way life works out
sometimes!”
“My plan was to be a financial planning
advisor but I stumbled into HR when a
friend had a work-related issue. I
supported him with his dismissal appeal
and when that was not overturned, I was
convinced that something was not right,
and we went to a solicitor who then took
up the case at an employment tribunal.
“My friend won and I was left thinking
that HR was supposed to prevent this
sort of thing from happening. I then
decided to change my career to HR, with
my first HR administrator role at the
University of Aberdeen. While there I
enrolled in a HR postgraduate course at
the Robert Gordon University and then
progressed swiftly through various senior
HR roles in different companies.
“I really enjoyed the job but knew
pretty much straight away that I didn’t
want to be pigeon-holed in a corporate
environment. I wanted to branch out and
offer a broader level of support to
businesses, and came up with the idea to
launch HR Hub Plus.”
The maxim behind HR Hub Plus is,
again, straightforward. “We work with
any organisation that needs HR support.
Often they are small businesses that
aren’t at the stage where they can have
their own people in-house, so that’s
where we step in.
“We offer everything from one-off HR
interventions – perhaps on a disciplinary
matter – to more comprehensive
guidance: writing company HR policies,
performance reviews, TUPE issues. We’re
a one-stop HR solutions provider.”
Clients can also access a suite of
e-learning packages, training and
specialist areas such as payroll support.
“Clients can pick and choose what
services they access, and for how long.
We offer a retainer package, where we
can step in when required, but we don’t
tie people down. Ours is a completely
flexible approach.”
It’s an approach that’s going down
well, with virtually all new work coming
via referrals – always a positive sign of
client confidence in your services. HR
Hub Plus has supported some 250
companies so far – not bad for a business
that has only just seen its fifth
anniversary.
It helps too that Edward is a highly
visible figure in Scotland’s business
community, regularly attending
networking events, taking part in
roundtable discussions and offering
insightful advice on business and, often,
EDI.
It should come as no surprise that
Edward places a huge emphasis on his
own business’s inclusivity. His team is
drawn from across every spectrum: “I
look round the office and we’ve people
of different colours, different faiths,
able-bodied, disabled. But they all add
value and inisghts, all bring something
unique to the table.”
Continued on page 14
14 AUTUMN 2023