Redwood’s investment in staff reaps rewards for People Partner

10 December 2024

A rising star at Redwood Bank has celebrated her seventh anniversary with the organisation and the successful end of her second year as its People Partner.

Tara Procter joined Redwood back in 2017, when the organisation was only a few months old, and has seen her own career flourish alongside the growth of the specialist lender.

Initially hired at the age of 19 as an HR assistant, Tara has gone on to achieve four promotions in Redwood’s human resources department thanks to her tireless work to ensure the bank had the right support and processes in place as it accelerated its growth.

Her greatest achievements to date include introducing the HR System – HiBob – to help manage Redwood’s people processes and communications, and then exploring how the bank could bring more value to its colleagues as part of its efforts to be recognised as a leading employer in the specialist banking space.

Tara said: “Launching HiBob is my greatest achievement. It was something I have never done before, it took a lot of hard work but the reward for both the HR team and wider business made it worth it.

“It has brought efficiencies in managing absences, recruiting and wider HR activities and provides our line managers with all the HR information they need.

“I’m proud to have worked with our director of people on creating our colleague proposition, with a focus on improving diversity and inclusion and promoting health and well-being.”

In her current role as people partner, Tara acts as an adviser to the business on a wide range of topics including recruitment and employment law as well as continuing to lead on new people projects. The key aim for her role is supporting colleagues to perform at their best.

While Tara’s career has developed at a fairly rapid pace, like many aspiring female leaders she has experienced imposter syndrome. At times she feared she was not yet ready to lead but with support and continuous feedback from senior colleagues at Redwood she has continued to flourish.

Tara said: “A few years ago, I received a piece of advice that was a turning point in my career. Our chief financial officer had seen I had potential and that I was delivering results.

“He told me I was knowledgeable, but outputs alone do not make you into a leader. I had to consider how I conducted myself across the business and the tone this set for others. It was great advice.

“I also check in with my boss, our director of people, to help build my confidence in my knowledge and I’ve learned it’s OK to not know everything. It is about being transparent and if you don’t know something, you can always go away and find out.

“I have found that preparation is key – before going into any meeting I plan what I’m going to say and make sure I have the information they need.”

Redwood director of people Tracey Lester said: “Tara has been with us since the early days of Redwood.

“We invest in developing our own talent and we’re delighted to see Tara achieve her Level 5 CIPD at Redwood alongside many other achievements. It has been a privilege to watch her build her experience and to grow into her role. She is well grounded in how Redwood operates and supports our colleagues to bring their best self to work.”

Redwood co-founder and CEO Gary Wilkinson said: “Tara is a key member of our team and helped us to ensure we had the right support for colleagues and people processes in place as we accelerated Redwood’s growth.

“She is a great example of the culture we have at Redwood, being hard working and committed to consistently delivering to a great standard. We provide support and the environment needed for all our colleagues to excel in their careers. We’re proud that she wants to continue to develop her career here with us at Redwood.”