Spotlight on Chie: New Business Improvement and Innovation Manager

This month we would love to introduce (or re-introduce) you to Chie Soma, Peoplebank’s new Business Improvement and Innovation Manager. In a short and sweet interview, we find out more about Chie and her new role.

What has your journey with Peoplebank been like? How long have you been with the company?

I joined Peoplebank back in 2015, when Recruit Holdings (Japan) acquired Peoplebank. At the time, I was part of the M&A team at Recruit and when the acquisition was close to completion, I was asked whether I wanted to relocate to Australia to oversee the post-merger integration. I was in the Integration and Liaison Manager role at Peoplebank, responsible for implementing Recruit’s management methodology called ‘Unit Management’ into Peoplebank. Then when the HR Manager left in 2016, I applied for the role and became the Head of People & Performance.

When Peoplebank and Chandler Macleod merged in 2020, I became the General Manager of HR Transformation, looking after all of HR administration from onboarding to offboarding, HRIS and employee benefits whilst improving systems and processes.

What will the new role entail? Do you have any plans or ideas yet?

The new role is called Business Improvement and Innovation Manager. As Brent (EGM, Peoplebank) describes it, it is Peoplebank’s very ‘first proactive role’ that not only look at problems at hand, but work on projects that would elevate Peoplebank as the best company to work for in the industry. 

I already have 20 odd projects that I’d like to work on, but prioritisation is key, so I’m going to focus on projects that would have the biggest impact to the company, which are onboarding and scaling our sourcing hub.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

Everything, but especially working with the great team at Peoplebank. The leadership team is aligned in our vision and have high change readiness to achieve such vision. It is supported by hard-working and fun-loving group of consultants who genuinely love being here.

I look forward to making an impact and adding value to the business by combining all the knowledge and experiences I have gained in HR, M&A, Transformation Manager, and Change Management.

Tell us a little about yourself and your passions!

I have a 11 year old son and 2 rescue cats called Uni and Ikura (sushi fans will know what they mean).

I’m also passionate about running. I have just completed my second half marathon and look forward to completing more.

Chie has already had an amazing journey with us at Peoplebank and with the wider group brand also. We are so excited to have her back in this new role and are looking forward to seeing more of the fantastic work she will do!