16th February 2021
Stories from an Inspiring Leader – Cheryl Allen
Cheryl Allen, HR Director – Culture & Transformation, Atos IT Services
Some of Cheryl’s greatest qualities are her compassion and inclusivity as a leader. Cheryl is personally involved with driving the Atos ambition as a diverse and inclusive employer, whilst continuing to ensure excellence for our employees’ experiences at work.
She also cares greatly about the individuals within her team and their own personal journeys. Just one example out of many where she demonstrated her authentic self as a leader happened quite recently, a member of her team suffered a close family bereavement, Cheryl did not hesitate to show utmost support for this individual throughout their experience. Facilitating their return to the workplace in a healthy and sustainable way for the individual whilst providing ongoing flexibility to another team member who has long term caring responsibilities for a partner.
Cheryl encourages timeout to avoid ‘burn out’ and as a parent herself understands intricately the challenges faced by working parents in her team, particularly through the pandemic.
Her natural ability to empathise was demonstrated again during COVID-19 where she put herself in the shoes of many parents, proposing and implementing the innovative idea for a virtual summer camp for children of our employees. This went on to win an award for inclusion at the Global Women in Tech and Telco 2020 awards. Cheryl is a highly emotionally intelligent leader, able to adapt her leadership style in any situation.
She has one of the most diverse teams both personally and from a work perspective. She guides each one in their own way and seeks to understand the underlying causes of their emotions to support them. Despite a complex and busy role, Cheryl offers time and a safe sounding board for new ideas and challenges through listening and coaching. Never afraid to share her own challenges and experiences which humanises her role as a senior leader.
Endorsement
“Cheryl is a very strong and visible leader, one that pushes the boundaries with technology and strategic thinking and always wants to deliver excellence. Cheryl develops not only her direct team but people across the business and externally. […] Cheryl’s empathic and inclusive approach to leadership ensures those around her develop and reach their potential. She leads by example, is a true role model in her approach to delivery and really gets stuck in to support her team and the wider organisation.”
About Inspiring Leaders
The extract above is taken from the Inspiring Leaders 2020 initiative which recognised exceptional leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can download the full eBook with all the leader stories here.
Inspiring Leaders was created as a vehicle to recognize people who stepped up to help individuals, teams and organizations navigate personal and business challenges, and make a contribution to make their business, their community and the world a better place.
Due to the success of IL 2020, we have brought it back in 2021. We are now open for nominations. For more information about how to enter Inspiring Leaders, dates and fees – click here.