Interim Interviews with… Jonathan Tarttelin

Our Interim team here at Macmillan Davies works with a range of fantastic interim professionals. In the latest edition of our ‘Interim Interviews’ series, Sophie Atkinson, Senior Consultant in our Interim Recruitment team, speaks to Johnathan Tarttelin, a skilled HR, OD, and Operations Director with experience in ‘Greenfield’ ‘Turnaround’ & ‘Transformation’ programmes across a range of sectors.

Tell me about your career to date

I've been fortunate to experience multiple industries and sectors across the world with some major brands and organisations. I've held HRD positions, but this also blends with strategic operations lead roles, as well as having control of the OD agenda. It's this combination that makes me quite unique as an interim professional; having 'owned the sharp end' of a business has made me empathetic to the organisational demands.

What attracted you to a career as an Interim specialist?

This is an easy one to answer. It is the variety and the demand in equal measure. I've shown that I can not only adapt to any working environment, but I can, and have, quickly put in place interventions, both tactical and strategic that enable an organisation to stabilise, normalise, then optimise, its business objectives.

What has been your most enjoyable/memorable part of a project thus far?

With all projects, it's the same - developing a new team (sometimes from scratch) to not only succeed after my assignment has finished but in some cases, be my successor.

What are some of the core skills you use as a Group HRD?

I base my leadership skills on 3 criteria.

1) Technical competence - I am an expert in my field and ensure I am fully up to speed with the latest legislation, tools, and techniques.

2) Executive Gravitas - I ensure that when representing the leadership group, I am fully attuned to whatever business area I am working in/with. This enables me to present myself in a way that is representative of the senior team, so those I interact with know what is being said to me is being heard by the whole of the SLT.

3) Cultural Ambassador - I quickly understand, interpret, and then live the organisation's values, championing those who embody what the values represent and challenging those who choose not to work collaboratively.

The above is from a Leadership framework I created called 'The Leadership Triangle' and I have run workshops and seminars on this for the last 15 years.

What is the best piece of career advice you have received?

Regret is a waste of time and energy - take the 'learns' from failure to 'change' your approach and turn your next venture into a 'win'.

Get in touch

John is immediately available and won’t be on the market for long. To discuss further please contact our interim consultants:

• Sophie Atkinson – satkinson@mdhr.co.uk – 07930 086 518

• Amy Smith – asmith@mdhr.co.uk – 07946 173 393

Alternatively, if you require candidates of a different calibre for your business’s interim needs or if you would like to discuss how you can become an exclusive Macmillan Davies Professional, please contact the above.