I have learned
the most in my career
during times of contraction
This week’s edition of Up-Close is with Donna Murray Vilhelmsen, Chief of Staff and Chief People Officer at Trustpilot. In this interview, Donna discusses the type of culture and leadership required to manage business in the current macro-economic climate, and the changes she has seen in the People function over the course of her career.
What is your career highlight to date? How has this influenced you as a leader?
I’ve really enjoyed my time in start-ups, scale ups and carve-outs – anywhere I get the chance to create something new. It is really special to be a part of a journey that takes something from an early stage and helps build it into a thriving business. I’ve learned a lot each time I’ve been involved in that.
In this last journey at Trustpilot, I joined pre-IPO and was a part of the team that took the company public. It is an incredibly challenging and rewarding experience. I must say that these last few years as a new public company have been equally, if not more interesting, and I have continued to learn a lot.
The people who have influenced me the most, are my team. I’ve never had such a capable, brilliant team. They strike the right balance of striving for excellence whilst also knowing how to have fun. It really is a thrill and pleasure to lead such a wonderful group of humans. They influence and shape me as a leader every day.
“The people who have influenced me the most, are my team. I’ve never had such a capable, brilliant team.”
How do you think the role of a People leader has changed during your career?
That’s 25 years – so much has changed in the world during that time and as a result, what people expect from their employers. That said, what is more striking and surprising, is that the fundamental needs haven’t actually changed all that much. Finding meaning & purpose in your work, getting clarity around what’s expected, getting great feedback, the need for recognition, being seen, heard and supported - these are things that have always been there as fundamental needs. Thankfully how we listen and respond has changed and how we serve these needs has evolved, bringing much more humanity and compassion to the workplace.
What interesting trends have you seen develop in your function in the last few years (new tools; measurements, etc)?
I’m not so focused on what’s ‘cool’; I’m more interested in things that have impact. What things can help to extract performance and get outcomes. The next technology revolution is now here with Generative AI. It will be a real game changer on how we can deliver value, accelerating personalisation, customisation and automation. I’m really excited to see how companies will leverage and differentiate themselves on the back of it.
When I look at some of the big shifts in the People function, it’s not ahead of us, it’s already happened! For many years the focus was ‘how do we get a seat at the table’ - well now we are at the table. We are business leaders first, functional leaders second. The question becomes, what do we now do with that seat? If we only optimise for people related outcomes and not business outcomes, we will lose that seat.
What does the future of People function look like in 2025 and beyond?
The War-Time CPeO: How has the shift in the focus from high-growth to one of profitability impacted your People strategy?
The war time analogy is a bit funny. Having been at this for 25 years, I’ve seen growth, stability and contraction. Now, balancing growth and efficiency – these are strong foundations, and that is what I would consider ‘normal’, not wartime. So, what it does is get us off this trajectory of winners and losers being based on how deep your pockets are, and instead, we are now in a time where it is more about strong underlying business performance.
Plans are more focussed on longevity, sustainability and not just shooting starts. I’m grateful we are here, implementing good business practice. I can honestly say that I have learned the most and experienced the best lessons in my career during times of contraction. Plus, it is a time where you can really see who knows their stuff & can perform even with less at their disposal. It is a time when innovation and true creativity really shine.
“Thankfully how we listen and respond has changed and how we serve these needs has evolved, bringing much more humanity and compassion to the workplace.”
What type of culture and leadership is required to successfully manage businesses in the current macro-economic climate?
At the moment, we are talking a lot about focus. In times of plenty, we are more likely to take a few bets, fail fast & see what works. However, now we need to be more deliberate and focussed, both in terms of what we decide to go after and how we execute. We have to be precise on what we go after and when we decide that, nail the execution, making sure to track impact to the P&L or whatever metrics you are measuring the success by. The real trick is achieving this focus on efficiency & execution but doing so while galvanising all the wonderful aspects of your business & culture, most of all making sure people feel cared for.
“In times of plenty, we are more likely to take a few bets, fail fast & see what works.”
How have you struck the right balance post-Covid from the perspective of hybrid working and its impact on fostering culture, teamwork, onboarding, and L&D.
The balance for me in this post-Covid world can be struck with trust and compassion. Thinking from a policy perspective, if you are remote or office based – we were looking for the perfect answer during Covid and even now, but there is no one perfect answer that applies to all. Our job is to find the right people at the right time and create an environment where they can do work that has meaning and impact and delivers value for the business. If you build trust and come from a position of being compassionate, you’ll find a way to strike the right balance.
How do you keep up to date on the latest People practices, tools, tech, channels?
I don’t focus on keeping up on people trends, instead I listen to a trusted group of HR peers. Listening to problems they face and how they face them, I always have my ears on absorb mode. Slack channels are a great way for industry peers to keep in touch.
What are the key KPIs that matter to HR?
Business metrics: We need to make sure we are impacting those and need to make a material impact, in terms of growth, profit, NPS – these must come first.
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Indicators of cultural health: Here, we look at engagement, reputation, and retention.
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Indicators of a high-performance culture: We do this through specific diagnostic tools.
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Do you have any suggestions of great books / podcasts / content that you listen to keep up to date? Or any books or content that have influenced your career or leadership style that you would recommend?
Yes, James Allan’s ‘The Founders Mentality’; that has stood the test of time for me. Even before working in start-ups & scale-ups I found it really inspiring and helpful. I carry key messages from that book with me still. Another book that I love is ‘Ego is the Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday. In terms of Podcasts, Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson is great as it touches on health, high performance, life optimisation and a strong lean towards evolutionary psychology.
