We caught up with Patricia Burns, HRConnect Service Director at Fujitsu, for our winter 2016 magazine.
Hi Patricia, tell us about the company you work for and your role.
Fujitsu is a leading global provider of ICT systems, services and products. Our solutions touch the lives of 99% of the population every day - from enabling airline bookings and driving licences through to banking transactions and high street shopping – and keeps vital services in the UK and Ireland running. In Northern Ireland Fujitsu is the largest Japanese employer in the country with over 800 employees here.
As HR Service Director for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) HR Connect, I am responsible for leading the delivery of a wide range of Fujitsu HR and payroll solutions and services that meet NICS’ requirements, improve their overall efficiency and are responsive to their changing business environment.
How did you get into business?
I have a Computer Science Statistics & Operational Research degree from the Queen’s University Belfast which led me to my first role as a statistician in the NICS. I really wanted to move into the IT industry so I left the Civil Service and joined KPMG as an analyst programmer and subsequently moved into their consultancy team where I stayed for 6 years. I was appointed managing director of Crosshaven Computing and led this company for a number of years before transitioning into a sales role and becoming Head of IBM in Northern Ireland. I enjoy the challenges of working in a large corporate environment and am pleased to say I have been at Fujitsu for over 15 years.
How do you get the best out of people who work for you?
It’s important to understand each person’s strengths and weaknesses and embrace the attributes of each individual to make the team you have as successful as it can be. By talking with and actively listening to your team members, you can help them make the most of what they enjoy doing, and improve and develop their skillset.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in their career?
I would say if you don’t enjoy what you do – don’t do it. A person performs best if they are in an industry they truly care about. I would also say that you should continually challenge yourself; this will help you develop the skills to progress in your career. Finally, I would advise people starting out to really get to know and understand the goals of the company they are working for. Understanding theses business objectives is a key way of learning how to do your job effectively and add value to the organisation which ultimately will help you achieve your own professional objectives.
What do you enjoy to do outside of work?
I enjoy travelling, gardening and baking. I’m a big fan of the Great British Bake Off and thought the last series was great. I have one daughter who now lives in London so I like getting over to see her for weekends away when I can.
