Ian Pilbeam left a corporate HR role in the public sector, formed his own business, The HR Dept, then made it run without him so he can travel the world

• The meeting begins with Ian, Kevin, and Graham introducing themselves and getting their video and audio setups working.
• They discuss some technical issues like camera orientation and lighting.

• Ian shares how he transitioned from a career in public sector HR to starting his own HR outsourcing business called The HR Department 10 years ago.
• He describes the process of building the business to operate without him, including hiring talent, implementing systems, and cultivating the right company culture.

• Ian emphasises the critical role of company culture in enabling his business to run smoothly without him.
• He explains how he involved his team in defining the company’s core values and ensures they are actively lived by the employees.

• Ian discusses the challenges of transitioning leadership and fully stepping away from the business he founded.
• He shares how he built trust with his successor through hands-on training and scenario planning, and how events like the COVID-19 pandemic required him to temporarily step back in.

• Ian describes his current lifestyle, which involves spending about a third of the year in Edinburgh, a third in Italy, and the remaining third traveling to various destinations.
• He explains how this lifestyle is enabled by the self-sustaining nature of his HR business.

• Ian discusses how the HR landscape has become more complex in recent years, with increased focus on mental health, work-from-home policies, and upcoming legislative changes.
• He explains how this has increased demand for the outsourced HR services his company provides.

Escape Story

Graham Arrowsmith