Leading the charge in building a thriving company culture isn’t a solo act. As Chief People and Culture Officer at Jagex, Keeley Vaughan-Davies spearheads a dynamic, multifaceted role that sets the very pulse of the organization. “My role as Chief People and Culture Officer is expansive,” she explains. It requires masterminding a comprehensive people strategy, ensuring it seamlessly aligns with the company’s overarching vision. This coordinated effort involves crafting talent acquisition strategies to find the perfect candidates, fostering retention programs to keep them engaged, and developing talent to propel them forward.
But it goes beyond just individuals. Keeley and her team work hand-in-hand with leaders across the business to cultivate high-performing teams that consistently achieve mid- to long-term goals. They foster an engaging and inclusive company culture that drives employee commitment, equipping leaders with the tools they need to make it a reality. Collaboration is at the heart of this success. HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Facilities, Talent Management, and HR Operations work in close synergy, ensuring no stone is left unturned. This integrated approach keeps them attuned to the needs of their “internal customers,” allowing them to proactively address employee experience, engagement, diversity, and inclusion. Their extensive reach covers reward and recognition programs, health and wellbeing, strategic workforce planning, and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
This collective spirit embodies their mission statement: “Empower our people to unleash their full potential and perform at their highest levels BY Fostering a culture of wellbeing, continuous learning, fair reward, active engagement, and cultivating an exceptional workplace that attracts, develops, and inspires a diverse and agile workforce to drive business success.”
It’s a demanding yet energizing role that Keeley is invigorated by. She takes immense satisfaction in working with her stellar team to translate strategic vision into tangible results, inspiring others to do the same. From meticulously crafting plans to empowering her team to deliver success across all business functions, every aspect requires collaboration, from boardroom buy-in to engaging new hires.
The most fulfilling outcome, however, is witnessing the fruits of their labor. Seeing the team embody the company values, achieve growth, and exceed goals – that’s the magic that fuels Keeley’s passion for this impactful role, and it’s a source of pride and accomplishment for everyone involved.
A Global Leader with a Diverse Background
Positioned among the “The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders in Business, 2024,” Keeley brings a wealth of experience across various industries. Her background spans the fast-paced world of fintech to well-established international financial institutions, each with its own unique demands. At DOCOMO Digital, Keeley was a champion for building a high-performing company culture, focusing on among other areas, talent optimization, to fuel sustainable growth which led to a successful acquisition. At MoneyGram International, Keeley initially led HR for emerging markets in a time of significant organizational transformation, before taking on a global remit, relocating from Dubai to London. She played a crucial role in MoneyGram’s international expansion. She implemented global talent strategies, cross-cultural training programs, and adaptable HR frameworks. Keeley’s foundation lies in her diverse recruitment experience across London, Dubai, and Auckland.
Her international experience exposed her to a variety of markets and cultural dynamics, equipping her with valuable insights. She’s honed a collaborative, culturally sensitive, and results-oriented leadership style throughout her career. She firmly believes that the right people and a strong company culture are the cornerstones of business success. She emphasizes the valuable expertise she’s gained in aligning talent strategies with business goals. Keeley highlights her ability to drive innovation through effective talent management and her experience navigating the complexities of international environments. These skills have paved the way for a fulfilling career journey that she’s thoroughly enjoyed every step of the way.
Multinational Fintech Experience Benefiting Jagex
Keeley highlights the valuable connection between past experiences and future opportunities. Every role offers an avenue to learn and develop skills that become assets in future challenges. While specific industries may differ, core aspects like working with people and fostering a strong company culture remain consistent. There’s no single perfect path, but recognizing past successes and applying those learnings paves the way for future rewards. She has detected that trends like disruption, technical dependence, and ever-evolving customer expectations create a sense of common ground across industries. Staying attuned to customer needs remains paramount regardless of the field.
For the people and culture team, Keeley feels that success hinges on understanding both external customers and the company’s direction. By working collaboratively with employees (internal customers), the team can design effective people and culture solutions that empower the workforce and align with the company’s trajectory. Continuous iteration and feedback loops are crucial for success, regardless of team size or location. Keeley emphasizes a customer-centric approach: “Be Your Customer’s Hero.” is just one of our company values, she adds, “Always look to improve, experiment, test, and iterate, challenge the old ways and stay humble.”
Optimal efficiency, operational excellence, and scalable solutions are key for this seasoned executive. While smaller organizations might gravitate towards bespoke solutions, it’s vital to prioritize scalability. According to her, ideally, solutions should be adaptable across diverse company sizes and locations, allowing for agility in the face of rapidly evolving business needs.
Strategies for Building a Performance-Driven Culture at Jagex
“Honour Your Vows – Seek opportunities, use time wisely, find solutions, and celebrate success,” is another company value that underscores Jagex’s commitment to understanding employee needs and those of their player base, a key aspect of their success in the gaming industry. The brand prioritizes a collaborative work environment. Keeley highlights their efforts in redefining the company culture, including core values and leadership oaths, through collaboration with employees across all departments. This culture is then implemented with the support of focus groups and employee champions.
The company prioritizes clear communication. Regardless of position, every employee should be able to understand the company’s vision, key goals, and how their work contributes to achieving them. Keeley emphasizes that frequent communication and a revamped performance review process work together to solidify this alignment.
Leadership performance is measured against established “leadership oaths” through surveys and comprehensive reviews. Employee feedback is an integral part of this process, and performance evaluation considers individual goals and commitment to company values that together contribute to achieving companywide strategic priorities linked to our vision. Keeley acknowledges that at Jagex, rewards and recognition are essential for employee motivation. They tie rewards to performance and hold regular company celebrations to showcase employee feats.
Inspiring and Empowering HR Teams Across Disciplines and Geographies
This skilled HR professional makes a compelling comparison, likening a team without a clear direction to a rudderless boat. She argues that sharing the company’s big-picture goals and each team member’s role in achieving them is vital. Keeley insists that this transparency is essential for all departments within the organization.
She goes on to elucidate how their hybrid work model encourages strong connections, allowing team members to rely on each other, form effective project teams, and leverage their diverse skills to deliver innovative solutions. Empowering teams to tackle challenges independently showcases their unique abilities, while solidarity strengthens project outcomes. Keeley explains that this spirit of collaboration prospers when they “Embrace fellowship, overcome challenges together, be open and keen to share, and be inclusive and respectful.”
Since open communication and transparency are central to their strategy, keeping the entire team informed about key priorities, projects, and their interconnectedness becomes a must. It ensures everyone is aligned and optimizes collective effort. Keeley emphasizes the importance of relevant metrics. These not only measure progress and acknowledge individual contributions but also celebrate successes and identify areas needing improvement, prompting necessary adaptations.
Indelible HR Initiatives Under Keeley’s Leadership
Jagex’s Keeley has spearheaded cultural initiatives, including a new strategy that is already showing results. Recent efforts, like their International Women’s Day program, aim to inspire girls to pursue tech careers. They hosted 100 schoolgirls to learn about game design and development using RuneScape as an example.
Their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs now support various charities and events, promoting diversity, mental health, and tech career opportunities. Their Leadership Development Programme ensures adherence to leadership principles through regular assessments. This helps identify challenges in creating a positive work environment and achieving goals. Keeley stresses the importance of data-driven decision-making. They set objectives and identify data points that significantly impact their dynamic industry. This nimbleness allows them to accomplish targets or adjust course as circumstances demand.
Jagex, committed to fostering a thriving work environment, is launching a new career framework. As Keeley emphasizes, aligning employee and company ambitions is key. This framework will directly address the question: “How do they achieve their ambitions as we achieve ours?” As another company value states, “Hone Your Craft – Keep your word, align with company goals, take responsibility, don’t blame others,” this empowers individuals to contribute meaningfully while achieving their personal aspirations. The framework will benefit both Jagex and its workforce by making both sets of aims very clear.
Agile Approach to Talent Management, Rewards, Learning & Development
When questioned about her approach to continuous improvement in talent management, rewards, learning & development, and performance management, the insightful HR executive emphasizes the importance of setting clear company goals. Continuous improvement across these areas is crucial for success. The strategy starts with long-term, aspirational objectives that are then broken down into annual and quarterly goals. Key performance indicators (KPIs) assess progress, acknowledge successes, and identify and overcome obstacles.
Keeping a tab on regular feedback loops allows them to spot what’s effective and what needs adjustment. They embrace an agile approach, similar to building a minimum viable product (MVP). Focus groups offer useful input by avoiding the pursuit of a flawless, one-time answer and instead focusing on learning and iterative strategy building.
Finally, Keeley firmly advocates the need for staying informed about new platforms, technologies, industry trends, and people and culture best practices. That way, they can determine which methods work best with their unique setting and business ethos. Adaptability is key to success in a dynamic environment. “In people and culture, you can’t just replicate things you’ve done elsewhere at previous companies,” the veteran accentuates. “You need to understand and build for the audience, company strategy and industry you’re in.”
Integrating Organization Strategy and Listening to Stakeholders
Keeley shares that integrating the overarching organization strategy isn’t a walk in the park; it needs to stay close to the company vision and the organization’s aspirations, identify and execute, utilize key strengths, and understand where the opportunities are. She notes that they listen to their employees, not just hearing what they are saying but working to understand why they’re saying it. The same detail is applied to their customers, as they are a community-driven business where the most minor changes can make a significant difference. High priority is also given to the macro environment of their industry to build solutions in response to those challenges and arm themselves with enough information to plan ahead effectively.
Keeley on Strategic Integration of People and Culture in Business Operations
Keeley’s not just a chief; she’s an inspiration! The company vision is defined by its values.: “Seize The Day – Understand customer needs and goals, seek and incorporate feedback, exceed customer expectations!” creates a winning team where everyone’s voice matters. She leads by example, pushing us to be our best – a true people leader!
This adept authority throws out the dusty old HR playbook. She sees People and Culture as a strategic growth engine, fueled by data and woven into the fabric of the business. With clear goals, they’re building a diligent toolbox that adapts as the industry and their ambitions take flight. Keeley states that AI and analytics are relevant now. These tools will become the norm, shaping the workforce, nabbing top talent, and crafting legendary employee experiences.
Learning is the new currency, Keeley declares. They’re investing in a culture of continuous evolution to keep pace with tech’s lightning speed and ever-changing player demands. But it’s not just about tech. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are their secret weapon. By prioritizing these motivators, and underpinned by the company values, they’re unlocking the potential of their employees by recognizing peoples’ unique talents and contributions and encouraging the kind of collaboration that sees inclusivity work at its best.
This focus on cyclical agility ensures that their games and talent pool constantly evolve. As the company scales, its commitment to ED&I grows stronger, making it a magnet for the best and brightest. So, how does Keeley make this vision a reality? HR tech and data become her trusty sidekicks, informing smart decisions. She’s building nimble talent strategies that perfectly align with their creative spirit and business goals. But she knows it’s not just about the skills – it’s about the whole person. That’s why she’s cultivating a culture that thrives on change and values technical prowess and emotional intelligence.
Finding Balance: The Work-Life Juggling Act!
Keeley knows the struggle is real! With three kids (ages 7 to 23) and a demanding job, her life is a whirlwind. Luckily, she’s got a super supportive husband who helps keep the family ship afloat. She prioritizes carving out “me-time,” even if it’s just a quick yoga session. It might not be the most intense workout, but focusing on those stretches helps her clear her head. Living in the countryside is another plus—weekend getaways in nature are her jam!
The work-life balance can be tricky, but this experienced professional sees the silver lining. Her secret weapon? Finding fun in both areas! She loves her work environment—a great team and challenging projects keep things exciting.
This same philosophy applies at home. Keeley thrives on engaging and rewarding activities, like quality time with her family (travel is a bonus; she’s a citizen of the world!). Building and maintaining strong relationships and friendships brings her immense joy. So, there you have Keeley’s recipe for juggling work and life with a smile!
