Meet the team: Asha

1. What is your role at 93digital?

I am 93digital’s first People & Culture Manager.  My job is to ensure the 93digital team are happy, motivated, professionally developing and retained within the business. Key part of this role is to ensure we maintain our strong company culture and values and we recruit the right people at the right time into the business.  

2. What does an average day look like for you?

I don’t have an average day.  One of the things I love is constant change and differing challenges that pop-up each day. I personally get a kick out of resolving challenges that directly help people.

Having said that, the past week or so, I have had a heavy-focus on recruitment and as a result talking to lots of potential candidates for the roles we are recruiting for. This has really helped me to understand the business as I have had to learn about what we do in order to communicate with candidates effectively.

3. What is the most challenging part of your job?

Learning and being able to use Google Mail, Google Drive, Google everything efficiently. Prior to this role I just used Google to find things out. 

4. Any advice for those who want to do what you do?

I have over 20 years of HR experience working for different types of companies and have learned through my various experiences that HR can be regarded and used in different ways – not always positive.

I would advise anyone wanting to practise HR to really study the people, culture and company you want to work for.  Do you identify and/or agree with the company values and work ethics? Knowledge of UK employment Law is essential in order to make people-decisions within the parameters of the law and to be legally compliant (sorry I know this sounds very ‘HRey’ but very important).

5. What future design and/or tech developments in the industry are you excited about?

Learning about smart-home automation. My husband reckons our home is going to be smarter than him!

6. What are your passions/hobbies and interests?

I love anything vintage e.g. typewriters, telephones, record players etc. I showed Alex my 1930’s manual typewriter last week on our video call. It looks really good. It’s utterly useless but I just had to have it.  Before I bought it, my kids didn’t even know what a manual typewriter was!

I love cooking and have a hundred cookbooks but I’m not good at it – my kids fired me last month as a FT mum,  as they hate my food – hence why I am working with 93digital.

I can’t not mention my beautiful dogs – Oreo and Biscuit.  Love’s of my life and of my food!

7. What’s your favourite thing to read in Print/online?

My kids gave me a subscription for the Good Food Magazine, (hoping that it would help me to improve my cooking skills!) a few Christmases ago.  I am also obsessed with reading about Harry and Meghan. I give it 5 years…

8. What music is currently trending on your playlist?

Well since I was born in the early 70’s, I love music from that era – Abba (Mama Mia for those who haven’t heard of them before), BoneyM, Elton John and Queen. However, my son introduced me to Drake few years ago we regularly listen to that, full-blast, in his convertible car.

9. Tell us a random fact about you.

My family and I lived in a static caravan in our back garden for 4 years. Take from that what you will but it is an experience I will never forget.