EPeeps Nikki Ford | Talent Manager
Kia ora! I’m Nikki, the Talent Manager at EP. I joined the team in Dunedin in January 2021 after a stint working as an HR Coordinator at a meat processing plant in Balclutha. Needless to say, my working life is now very different to what it was 18 months ago!
After finishing my studies at Otago University and graduating with a BA in Psychology and a BComm in Management & Marketing I moved to the UK for my big OE. When I returned two years later after developing a severe case of the travel bug I spent nearly 20 years working in the tourism industry in sales, marketing and HR roles. I have a passion for people and culture and love the values based culture that exists at EP.
Outside of work I’m married with two teenage boys and I live on a lifestyle block on the Taieri where we’ve got 3 sheep, 6 chickens and a cat called Timpkin. We’ve been renovating our grand old villa for the last 9 years and I’m nearly ready to call in House & Garden magazine!
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love working with managers to recruit the best people to join their teams. Cultural fit is really important at EP and it’s a great feeling when you know you’ve found the person with the right skills and experience who will also be the best fit for the team.
How did you find transitioning from your previous role into an EdTech role?
The biggest change for me was moving from heavily paper based systems, printing out duplicate copies of all letters, job offers and contracts to operating completely online and paperless. Aside from my desk being a lot clearer, my head is too and it speeds up so many HR transactions.
Why do you love working at EP?
Aside from being able to come to work each day and know that the work that I do is meaningful and varied, I absolutely love the culture of EP. I feel supported in so many ways from being actively encouraged to undertake professional development opportunities to grow and develop, to weekly group fitness sessions and additional leave entitlements. The workspace at EPHQ is also modern and welcoming with multiple spaces for either collaboration or independent work.
What are you most excited about?
Last year we introduced an HRIS system to EP called BambooHR which replaced multiple spreadsheets in multiple places with a centralised database. We’ve been able to automate our onboarding and off-boarding workflows and significantly reduce the admin time in the recruitment process, meaning we’ve now got more time to focus on people!
Where is somewhere you’d like to visit?
Despite being lucky enough to have travelled all over the world there are still so many places on my bucket list I’d like to go! My top three would probably be Egypt, for the pyramids and the Nile; Tahiti, for an overwater bungalow experience; and Vietnam, just for the food and culture! I fulfilled a lifelong dream to get to Cape Reinga last year and coming up I’m looking forward to trying out the new hot pools in Methven with my family! The photos with my children were taken on a recent trip to Aorangi/Mt Cook.
Last words…
I’m super excited to be working at EP and looking forward to seeing where the next few years will take both me and the organisation. It’s been a fantastic journey so far, one that I look forward to sharing with each and every EPeep who comes onboard with us!
