Coronavirus drove huge changes for Experian's HR team. In a matter of days Rachel and team had to move the entire UK business (4,000 employees in multiple locations) from office to home working, with all the accompanying technology, logistical and emotional implications. They equipped employees for a fully-remote world, delivering frequent, effective communications, and building out new wellbeing packs and guides to support people with the huge changes and challenges they were experiencing.

Rachel also worked with her team and leaders across the business to land a major productivity-focused organizational transformation, moving over 1,000 people into new roles. Employee sentiment, both during the change and in the following months, was overwhelmingly positive about the shift to home working; the handling of the transformation project; and the final structure of the business � an incredible acknowledgement in testing times.

To recognise the changes in people's personal circumstances, Rachel and team undertook a full review of the employee reward package, relaunching it with the benefits people most wanted, including critical illness cover, shared parental leave and enhanced holiday-buy programme. She also kept the business' eyes on the future, leading design of the post-Covid working experience and embracing the collaborative and productive culture within the remote working period and beyond.

Rachel's strategic leadership brought the business together at a time when change risked creating isolation and lowering productivity. The resilience showed by the business was in no small part due to her leadership, commitment and ability to deliver in a year unlike any other.