Gemma Isherwood - Global Head of HR (working and living in Holland and then the US but from the UK yet never having worked in HR in your homeland)

Joining me as my guest this episode is Gemma Isherwood who currently works as Global Head of HR for a business unit in a large, international organisation. Gemma is originally from the UK but, interestingly, has never worked in HR there.Having studied Biomedical Science at university she didn't fancy life working in a lab and found her way into recruitment. However, her degree did turn out to be beneficial as Gemma specialised in Healthcare and Life Sciences. An opportunity came up to move to internal recruitment but it meant a big life choice for her and her partner as it was based in Holland. Eventually Gemma transitioned over to HR and has worked in a number of international roles, all for the same company. Wanting to move again, now as a family, they moved to Philadelphia in the US in Jan 2020.Within our conversation Gemma shares what it's been like not only to work internationally (and all the ups and downs that has with it) but the personal side of living in different countries too. This is such an interesting and fascinating conversation and really helps you understand what a global HR career can look like. Gemma is such a fun and down to Earth individual which made it a thoroughly enjoyable chat. I hope you enjoy it.Support the show

Om Podcasten

Welcome to Is This Room Free? In this podcast I will be talking to HR professionals and listening to the stories of their careers. I will be finding out about the journeys they have taken and what they learnt along the way. The purpose is to help others in the profession identify and understand the various paths available and take inspiration from my guest speakers. Whether you are someone who is looking to get that first step on the HR career ladder or an aspiring HR Director, I hope you get value from these conversations.