“As we are a truly global and distributed organisation we work harder than most companies to establish and maintain relationships,” she says. “Cross-team engagement is the cornerstone of practically everything we undertake. The bottom line is we know we need each other to succeed. ”
Carol Hilliard, Chief Technology Officer, Corporate Business Systems, Elsevier Science & Technology, Oxford
Carol Hilliard leads Elsevier’s Corporate Business Systems team, developing, and maintaining applications that support the entire product lifecycle from content acquisition through to sales, marketing, customer service, distribution, finance and human resources.
It’s a role which requires really effective team work and support. “As we are a truly global and distributed organisation we work harder than most companies to establish and maintain relationships,” she says. “Cross-team engagement is the cornerstone of practically everything we undertake. The bottom line is we know we need each other to succeed.”
Carol has worked for a number of large organisations both within and outside of the publishing sector and this has given her a perspective on the encouragement and support she experiences here. “Although the environment is very driven and the pressure can be intense, people treat each other with a lot of respect and dignity. The behaviors are an intrinsic part of the culture here and that is not always the case in a company of this size.”
“From a personal perspective I have felt my work has always been recognised and even in the challenging times, there has been empathy for the problems I was facing. You need to be determined to succeed and never forget that it’s always ultimately about the strength and motivation of the team around you. As our business models rapidly evolve this is a dynamic and change driven environment – it’s not for the faint hearted but with an abundance of opportunities it’s also exciting and rewarding, you get to make a real difference.”
So what does she value most in her colleagues?
“Their sense of humour! I’m Irish and, as a culture, we are raised to not take ourselves too seriously. I enjoy it when no matter how big the challenge we can keep it in perspective by balancing it with seeing the funny (even ridiculous) side. Thankfully I work with plenty of people who feel the same.”
Striking a balance between home and work is also important and Carol says she has received “amazing” support. “I brag about how this has to be one of the best companies I have seen around recognising the importance of family’ she says. “I have three young children but I am in the enviable and privileged position of being able to progress a career while raising my children and not feeling either has to give.”