Carving a Path to the C-Suite At Formula E 

I joined Formula E as People Director, reporting to a Chief of Staff. It was my first role where I was the final decision-maker for the people team, so Tina was key in helping me figure out how to get the best out of the role and structure the team effectively.  

When we started working together I was keen to understand what great leadership looked like in a People Director role, but to also ensure I kept growing and developing. I wouldn’t have said at the time that becoming Chief People Officer was specifically what I was aiming for, but I knew I wanted to shift from a transactional, operational role into a more strategic one.  

Keeping Imposter Syndrome at Bay 

I now sit on the executive team, and a lot of that is down to Tina’s support. She helped me lean into my role with confidence and strategic focus. When you strive for something and finally get it, there’s often that wobbly moment of, “Now what?”, so I really appreciated having someone to challenge my thinking.  

Tina has a great way of playing back my own words when imposter syndrome creeps in. If I ever said, “I don’t think I’ve had an impact,” she’d ask me to reflect on the last month’s work and prove to myself that I had. It’s about holding up a mirror and making you recognise your progress. 

I genuinely credit Tina with a lot of my career trajectory and the key decisions I’ve made. She believed in me, focusing on how I worked, rather than just what experience I had, and that belief unlocked a part of my career that led me to where I am today. I have enormous gratitude for her and have always been inspired by the way she leads, identifies talent, and sets people up for success. 

The Three Year People Strategy That Still Drives Success 

Something else hugely valuable was how Tina supported my strategic prioritisation and personal leadership growth. When I first joined Formula E, I needed to build our three-year people plan, so Tina provided a lot of guidance, coaching, and mentoring on how to structure it. 

This meant we had a clear vision upfront and were able to map out priorities for each year, creating a plan that became invaluable and is still reviewed quarterly to ensure we’re on track. It was specifically for the people function, but we also built it to align with the wider business strategy, making it a key enabler for delivering the company’s overall goals. 

Transforming Executive Relationships  

Tina has a wonderful ability to help you find the answers rather than just giving you them. She never feels like just a consultant or an external add-on because she fully immerses herself in the organisation, takes time to understand challenges and provides authentic support.  

Something that really shifted my perspective was the idea of a “personal board.” In HR, and especially in senior roles, it’s easy to feel isolated. The higher up you go, the lonelier it can become. Tina helped me think about who was on my personal board – who was there to guide, challenge, support, and advocate for me? Who was my cheerleader? Who would represent me when I wasn’t in the room? That conversation made me reevaluate my relationships with my executive team peers 

I realised I had been approaching those relationships in a transactional way and seeing myself as a service provider, always asking, “How can I help you?” Instead, I started asking, “How can you help me?” and, “Here’s what I need from you.” That shift made our interactions far more authentic and collaborative. Instead of just exchanging services, we became true teammates, working together for the benefit of the business. 

Tina’s mentoring sessions also helped clarify my ambitions and overcome barriers. We always started by reflecting on what we had discussed in the previous session and the commitments I had made. Then, we’d check in on my current challenges and mindset, assessing both the business landscape and my own well-being. These sessions created space to reflect on my personal development and impact. 

If someone was considering working with Tina but was on the fence, I’d say brace yourself! Tina will have a significant impact, but you have to be ready for it. She’s not the kind of consultant who just ticks boxes or delivers a service for the sake of it. She invests deeply, and everything she does is about making a tangible difference.  

If you’re serious about making a real impact and willing to fully engage, then buckle up because Tina will help you achieve more than you thought possible.  

 

Hayley Mann is the Chief People Officer at Formula E, an international single-seater motorsport championship that features fully electric race cars. Within Formula E, Hayley navigates the People landscape in leadership, partnering, culture and engagement, recruitment, talent and L&D to support leaders in creating conditions for teams to flourish.