Laura Trethewey

People & Culture | Founder | Innovator | Consultant | Leader | Facilitator | Advocate | Speaker

Hello, kia ora! I’m Laura.

I pride myself on being pragmatic, creative and transparent in the way I work.

In 2020 I created my own business with the vision to partner with people and organisations to inspire and enable people to do amazing work. At People Ninjas we do exactly that.

Being a People Ninja requires adaptability, innovation and expertise. I bring to my partnerships, years of experience in senior HR and H&S leadership roles, combined with the personal characteristics that are vital to enable people to do their best work.

Work Experience

People Ninjas

Founding Director

Nov 2020 - Present

Key Responsibilities:

Business management and strategic leadership.
Generalist HR and H&S consulting across various businesses and industries.
Specialist ER and Conflict Resolution services.
Providing guidance/leadership to employees and sub-contractors.
Business administration – accounting, invoicing, budgeting etc.
Sales/Marketing/Business Development – attracting new clients and maintaining existing relationships.
Learning design and facilitation (Workshops, Seminars, Training etc.)
Project management of HR/H&S/L&D-related projects.

Industry Experience:

Manufacturing / Production
Healthcare / Medical
Engineering / Fabrication
Security
Retail / FMCG
Real Estate
Hospitality
Finance / Venture Capital
Electronics Manufacturing & Retail
Building / Construction
Debt Collection Services

Walter & Wild

People & Culture Business Partner

June 2018 - Feb 2021

Organisation Profile: 500 Employees, 3 Business Units, FMCG, Etu (Union).

Key Responsibilities:

2 direct reports including Payroll, and HR/Recruitment.
Responsible for 2 out of 3 Business Units in NZ, Australia, and the UK, supporting over 50 people leaders from frontline to executive.
Work alongside leaders to identify and embed new company values following acquisitions to create a new organisational culture and alignment across businesses.
Partner with leaders to identify, manage and develop talent, performance management, rewards, remuneration, and organisational development.
Develop and execute People & Culture plans aligned with the business strategy.
Owner of the Learning & Development Portfolio for the entire group – responsible for providing strategic direction and support across all aspects of L&D.
Led the design and implementation of Goal-setting and Performance Management framework into the Company HRIS and supplementary e-learning into the Company LMS to enable better visibility, access and engagement with goal-setting and performance conversations.
Custodian of all people-related systems and data, and final sign-off on Payroll for NZ and Australia.
Design and implement leadership development programme including creating supporting e-learning.
Design and implement a new onboarding programme aligned with new Company Values and Strategy.

Hansells Food Group

HR and H&S Manager

Jan 2018 - Aug 2019

Key Responsibilities:

Manage the HR and H&S function through Hansells Food Group sale to Rank Group.
Led the HR and H&S function through acquisitions of Hubbards, I Love Food Co and Greggs Sauces.
Only internal resource for HR and H&S, with a Payroll Advisor reporting to me for the first 8 months of employment. After that, my team eventually grew to a total of 5 direct reports and then was split to fit the new Business Unit Structure in August 2019.
Create and establish the entire HR and H&S portfolio of policies, programmes, systems, and processes.
Provide guidance and answer HR and H&S questions throughout due diligence sale processes.
Provide coaching and advice to leaders across all functions and levels on HR and H&S matters.
Investigate, manage, close out, and liaise with Legal Counsel and be the face of PR for all notifiable events.
End-to-end recruitment and selection of staff for all departments and levels of the organisation.
Manage the day-to-day HR and H&S activities, continuous improvement projects, and payroll.
Negotiate contracts for and manage relationships with preferred suppliers including recruitment agencies, labour hire agencies, occupational H&S equipment & service providers, insurance providers, and IT system providers.
Implemented and integrated all people-related systems at Walter & Wild, including the company’s risk management system (Vault), HRIS (BambooHR), LMS (Litmos), QMS (SharePoint), culture/performance system (CultureAmp), time and attendance system (TimeTarget), and payroll (Datapay).

Wilson Hellaby Group

Group Human Resources Manager

Oct 2015 - Dec 2017

Company Profile: 800+ Employees, 4 Companies (Auckland Meat Processors, Ruakura Meat Processors, Wilson Hellaby, PVL Proteins).

Unions: EPMU, First Union, Meat Workers Union, PSA, Etū

Key Responsibilities:

Designed, implemented, and managed the HR, L&D and OH&S portfolios for the Wilson Hellaby Group.
Provide leadership to the H&S, Occupational Health Clinic and the HR/L&D teams (8+ direct reports).
Provide coaching and advice on all HR/H&S for over 50 people leaders across the organisation.
Create and monitor HR/H&S-related goals, objectives and KPIs in alignment with company goals.
Implementation of new HRIS, H&S and Payroll Systems.

Professional Achievements

Education

Bachelor of Business (HRM & ER) │ 2013
National Diploma in Project Management │ 2016
National Certificate in Adult Numeracy & Literacy Education │ 2014
National Certificate in Competitive Manufacturing │ 2014
National Certificate in Hospitality │ 2007

Other Certifications

First Aid Certified
Workplace Drug Screening US25511 & US25458
Genesys & Podium Psychometrics Admnistration & Interpretation
Advanced Auditing Certificate (Assure Quality)
Approved Handlers Certificate (HSNO Approved Handler)
Liquor Controller Qualification (LCQ)
Various other courses (Coaching, ACC Case Management etc.)

Scholarships / Awards

Beta Gamma Sigma Honours Alumni; Top 5% in AUT Business
The University of Waikato -Vice Chancellor’s Prize For Academic Excellence ($5000)
The University of Waikato - Science Admission Fees Scholarship ($4000)
The University of Waikato- School Leavers Scholarship ($3000)
AUT University - Top Scholar, Financial Literacy Examination ($250)