6 questions with Barry Dell

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Atlas Finance human capital partner and team lead Barry Dell gives insight into how the shaping of people and culture is at the core of Atlas Finance’s 30-year success.

Your career spans over 30 years in senior HR leadership. How have you seen the HR landscape evolve over this time, and how have you adapted to these changes?

My career in senior HR leadership has spanned over three decades, witnessing a profound evolution in the field. In the ’80s and ’90s, the HR landscape was often characterised by volatile labour disputes and polarisation between leadership and the workforce. HR’s role was pivotal in facilitating reconciliation and progress.

Over the years, we’ve seen a shift towards a more collaborative and inclusive approach. Today, there’s a deliberate effort to foster participation and community, recognising the value of diverse perspectives. Diversity and inclusion are key to driving innovation and ensuring that everyone feels valued and empowered.

Adapting to these changes has required a constant focus on learning, growth and staying abreast of industry trends. By embracing new technologies, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and prioritising employee wellbeing, I’ve been able to effectively navigate the evolving HR landscape and contribute to the success of the organisations I’ve served.

In addition, generational theory understanding has been pivotal, especially for recruitment and development. When I was first exposed to generational theory in the ’80s through Graeme Codrington and his wonderful book, Mind the Gap, I made a point of understanding it well, because generational theory significantly assists HC practitioners to optimise performance and definitely gives a better understanding of how people think. It has unquestionably helped to guide me as an HC leader, and also as a father.

Then there is the technology revolution – the increasing pace and never-ending reach and extent of the technology revolution, and of course more recently AI, are set to revolutionise human resource management. Leveraging benefit and remaining aware of latest developments is therefore crucial.

Staying relevant is critical. I have always made a point reading prolifically and staying in touch with the latest HR trends and developments. Reading is critical to staying relevant.

Lastly, I have realised that outsourcing certain components of the end-to-end HC landscape is often a more effective way to achieve goals and pivot quickly, made even more effective with the advent of virtual communication such as MS Teams, enabling meaningful exposure and engagement regionally and internationally.

Your organisation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. What role has the human capital strategy played in the company’s long-term success?

We have achieved impressive 20 percent monthly growth, for nearly two years, driven by a talented and engaged workforce. As a key player in shaping our human capital strategy, my focus has been on:

• Talent acquisition: attracting top-tier talent aligned with our culture and strategic goals.

• Employee development: investing in training and development to enhance skills and support career growth.

• Employee engagement: fostering a positive, supportive environment that motivates and promotes a sense of belonging.

• Succession planning: identifying and nurturing high-potential employees to ensure a sustainable talent pipeline.

Through these initiatives, we’ve built a high-performing team capable of driving performance, innovation and achieving our long-term goals.

The company’s success lies in its ability to stay true to its roots, operating as an agile, large business, yet with family character and values. Confidence, collaboration and agility, along with trust and continuous improvement, are at the heart of this success.

However, with rapid growth comes the need to shape a clear vision for the future of human capital management. Aligning human capital with business needs is essential, and adapting to these needs is key to driving ongoing success. Managing performance more effectively has become a major focus for us as we continue to evolve.

Your experience includes a strong focus on learning and development. What are some of the most significant changes you’ve implemented in the learning and development strategy?

Despite our ambitious growth plans and rapid headcount growth, we did not have a dedicated training and development department or head, an obvious gap, hindering our ability to effectively grow skills or enhance development.

We sourced a highly experienced lead and she has significantly and positively impacted the role to the extent that we have an effective in-house e-learning capability and in addition, are now building and developing our own bespoke course content, with plans to register these soon with the SETA.

Soft skills training has been absent for some time, and having been re-introduced, has landed exceptionally well, with immediate benefits being apparent. We have re-ignited a passion for knowledge and learning. Very exciting!

How do you ensure Atlas Finance’s core values of warmth, fairness and respect are upheld across 260 branches and 1,363 employees?

Although our next generation’s purpose, mission and values are currently work in progress, our organisation, being a family-owned and run business, has always tenaciously supported the philosophy of allowing anyone to contribute fresh ideas, and not to work in silos. This, combined with a prevailing sense of belonging to a broader, caring family, with clear purpose and goals, has created and sustained a business that is agile, engaged, optimistic and enthusiastic, and as a result, is continuing to grow at an astonishing rate!

With a deep understanding of the human capital landscape, what unique challenges have you faced in this market, and how have you successfully navigated them?

Providing effective human capital and services in any environment, requires that the HR capability is finely aligned with the needs of the business. You cannot be an HR
leader/manager without being an HR partner to business. So, I would say that it is vital to possess a deeply embedded and knowledgeable understanding of your core business proposition and be well-informed in terms of the functionality. You can’t be a true partner or make an impact on business unless you understand the nuts and bolts of your business.

Looking back at your career, what are some of the proudest moments or achievements that have defined your journey in human capital management and how have these experiences influenced your approach to leadership today?

Servant leadership means guiding and bringing people willingly along with you, and often supporting them selflessly. Enabling, then watching as people around you flourish and grow, is what it is all about.

My learning curve over 40 years of work has continued to be a steep upward trajectory. I guess this means you never stop learning or rather, never allow yourself to stop learning. I have endured months of 160 weeks, weekend work, all-nighters, stressful presentations, and gut-wrenching conversations, yet through it all it has been a remarkably satisfying journey which I am deeply grateful and privileged to have taken.

As I have always said, what happens when a tree stops growing… .it starts to die. Never stop growing.

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