At Fordway, we believe that people make the difference—and no one embodies that more than Amanda, our Head of People & Culture (and also Head of Finance and Administration). With a role as varied as hers, Amanda brings energy, empathy and strategic thinking to everything she does. We caught up with her to hear more about her approach to leadership, what drives her, and why HR in tech is such an exciting space to be in.

About Your Role

What does your role as Head of People & Culture at Fordway involve day-to-day?

My role is very diverse, and People and Culture is just one part of it—I am also Head of Finance and Administration—but HR is the most rewarding.

In addition to the usual “business as usual,” the people element of my role involves constantly thinking of ways to improve the workplace for our colleagues. That might mean compiling and analysing data from staff Pulse Surveys or strategically considering how to improve our onboarding, recruitment, retention, and development programmes.

I’m constantly reviewing benefits, processes and platforms, which I do alongside our brilliant Staff Liaison Committee. Overall, it’s about making life better for our colleagues and helping them feel supported.

What drew you to the people and culture side of tech?

I’ve always been interested in people, and I think that’s important.
I remember my dad reading Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus to me at a young age—he was pretty forward-thinking for his time—and I learned a lot about people from him. I think I was always going to fall naturally into a role that dealt with people.
Although I don’t think it matters which industry you’re in when working with people (I’ve worked in several sectors, including manufacturing, hospitality, and property), in my experience, the tech industry thinks outside the box and has been the most forward-thinking.

What excites you most about working in a company like Fordway?

Tech is constantly evolving. We have a true entrepreneur and big thinker at the helm, who keeps work interesting, sometimes unpredictable, and busy!

At Fordway, ideas are welcomed and listened to, so it feels like nothing is out of reach. Because my role is so diverse, no day is ever the same, which means I’m able to use my ability to juggle and multitask effectively, not always easy in HR situations.

How do you see HR evolving in the IT and cloud services sector?

AI is clearly at the forefront of everyone’s thinking, and that’s no different for HR.
We’re already seeing increased automation in the employee lifecycle—for example, candidate screening, onboarding, and predictive analytics—and I think this will quickly develop into tailored development plans for individuals.

While we need to be mindful of data compliance and ethical AI, we also need to evolve. Being in the IT and cloud services sector means we’re already well-informed.

Regardless of how powerful data and automation become, I believe there will always be a need for human connection.

Mindset & Motivation

You’re a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD—what impact has that had on how you approach leadership and people development?

Being a Chartered Fellow helps take me “out of the weeds” and makes me think more strategically about the future path of HR.

Being part of a group of like-minded people gives you access to experience and tools. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day of work and life, but when you open yourself up to learning and reading more widely, it’s amazing what a difference it makes.
I took the course because I wanted a more tangible result to show for my years of experience.

What’s your proudest achievement in your career so far?

It’s the impact of supporting other people. HR often goes unnoticed, so when you’re confronted with the realisation that you’ve made a huge difference to someone, it’s humbling—and powerful.

One moment stands out: just after Covid, I was met in our car park by a lady holding a bunch of flowers. I didn’t know who she was, but she introduced herself as one of our employee’s mums. She said the flowers were for me. I won’t share all the details, but she told me that her child had struggled with mental health—particularly anxiety—especially through Covid, and that I had helped her. She said that going to university had once seemed like a distant possibility for her child, who hadn’t had the confidence before. She told me that the support I’d provided and the programme of work we’d developed had sparked interest and helped build confidence, and that the support from Fordway during Covid had played a huge role. That young person left to go to university and went on to gain a First Class Degree. I later received a message from another family member saying, “You may not realise it, but you played a huge part in their development, and we can’t thank you enough.”

As you get older, you realise that the best things come from quietly helping other people.

How do you stay motivated and inspired, especially during organisational change?

I don’t always—I’m human! But if I feel demotivated, I pick myself up pretty quickly.
I’m a positive person, which helps, and I’m someone people come to when they need to offload. That can take its toll—you can feel weighed down—but again, without wanting to sound pretentious, it’s about helping others.

I’m inspired by real people around me who are doing good, not because of status, but because of their humble intentions. Change, whether organisational or not, is hard for everyone. So I try to stay grounded, focused, and available. I’m constantly inspired by people’s resilience, hard work, and adaptability in difficult times.

What are your go-to ways for building trust and morale in hybrid or remote teams?

On the first day of remote working during Covid, I set up morning meetings with my team. We met at the same time every morning for coffee, a check-in, and a chat about the day ahead.
That was in 2020, and we’re still doing it.

It’s important to check in on people and even more important to actually find out how they are—how their families are doing—and to be genuinely interested. We build trust with truth, whether that’s having difficult conversations or sharing information. People need to stay informed, and we know that communication is key. We’re an honest company and share more information than most do with our teams.

Culture & Collaboration

How would you describe the culture at Fordway in three words?
I have to say: Team, Adapt, Results, don’t I? We set our values and we truly do live by them.

What’s been your most rewarding project or initiative at Fordway so far?
There have been a few in the People side of the business—our values, development programmes, benefits, systems—but probably the Staff Liaison Committee. It’s something I kicked off in 2016, and it’s still running successfully today.

How do you support leadership teams in creating inclusive, high-performing environments?
Simply by trying to create an environment where people are valued.
Our strategy always has people at the forefront.

What makes Fordway a great place to work, from a people perspective?
Everyone works in a way that supports others to succeed. We’re not perfect, but we know that.
We all know work can be challenging, but we love what we do. No one is looking for their colleagues to fail—we understand that only collectively will we create success.

Fast Five (Quick-Fire Fun)

1. One skill every good people manager needs?
Awareness.

2. Your favourite leadership quote or mantra?
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

3. What do you like doing outside of work?
My son is a drummer in a band (Canine Gymkhana), so I spend a lot of time following them—and being a bit of a roadie! Music is a massive part of our lives, and we love to go to live gigs. I also love theatre and go as often as I can. I enjoy reading and learning too.

And I have a beautiful German Shepherd who I adore—walking her is a real pleasure and gets me away from my screen when I most need it.

4. Best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be aware you will have blind spots, even if you are a successful leader.

5. If you weren’t in HR, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be a counsellor, a lawyer, or in politics!

Want to know more about life at Fordway?
Keep an eye on our blog and follow us on LinkedIn for more Team Spotlights and behind-the-scenes insights.