I am Nicki Artwell-Ikwele and I am a HR Business Partner at Bristan Group. This is my first role in the construction industry and I have been here for over 3 years.
I am a happy wife, proud mother to 2 children under 10 and a fur baby. My family and friends are important to me. I am a lover of food (definitely the way to my heart) and travelling.
I got into HR as I have a passion for people and having the opportunity to truly make a difference. I know it sounds cliché. I believed that I could make a difference to the traditional perception of HR – “they are only there for the business, and they don’t care for us.” I believe it is my role to be there for every member of the business, no matter their position or level. I also believe that HR should be involved in all things people-related and not just the uncomfortable and difficult times.
Whilst in HR, I was afforded the opportunity to be a manager at a well-known high-street retail brand. After doing this for a while, I knew that HR was where I wanted to be, however I was grateful for the experience and had learnt so much. I struggled to get a role back in HR at the time, so I decided to get my CIPD L5 in HR Management. Shortly after having finished the course, I was successful in securing a role.
I got into the construction industry as I was looking for a business that enabled me to have a work-life balance. This means allowing me to be the best HRBP that I can be, without having to sacrifice my personal time outside of work.
It is important to me that creativity and fun are factored into work, and I believe that this is something that my team and I have introduced and promoted at Bristan. Some events include:
- Leading a carnival workshop for Black History Month which included Caribbean cake and virgin fruit punch.
- Facilitating a scavenger hunt around the business as part of a team development session.
- Having a karaoke machine and sing-along on the way to a company event.
- Supporting a Bongo Bingo session to create awareness of breast and prostate cancer.
One of the highlights of my career was being able to accompany the Head of HR to a Masco (our parent company) HR conference in Detroit.
One of the projects that I have done that I am most proud of, is the People Manager Programme. This is a modular, blended learning programme that gives people managers the knowledge and skills to be able to look after and support their teams.
Earlier in my career, I struggled to get opportunities for promotions. You may argue that this was down to my ability. However, we are all pretty good at comparing ourselves with others and knowing our worth. I was also the go-to person to train new starters so if I wasn’t good at my job, surely, I would not be given the responsibility.
In general, I am a bubbly character, who you would know is in the building (normally from the cackle of a laugh that I have). I’ve been told that I have an ‘attitude’ for having an opinion and been described as ‘angry’ if I challenge others or have highlighted an issue.
There were times that I would try to change certain traits to try and fit in or to find success.
It got to a point in businesses I worked in, that whenever I looked up to the top at leadership levels, there were rarely any people from BAME (Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnics) communities, let alone Black women, or sometimes women in general.
I was tired of being someone I wasn’t and made a conscious decision to be unapologetically me. I am not a rude or disrespectful person, and I care deeply about people, and that is all that matters. People should take me for who I am, and if they don’t like me, then the company isn’t for me. This would be my advice to anyone.
Black History Month is important to me as it reminds me of the opportunity I have been afforded on the backs of my hard-working grandparents, who paid to leave their beautiful island of Jamaica, to come and support the UK. I feel a great sense of pride in the ways of Black culture.
