Metso

Lizelle Masson

Lizelle Masson is an experienced human resource professional with a strong track record of leadership and strategic involvement in various roles across regions, including Africa, Finland and Australia. With a background spanning almost two decades, Lizelle’s journey includes various significant roles including Vice President of Human Resources for Asia Pacific at Metso. Her responsibilities included collaborating with management teams and leading the people strategy implementation in Asia Pacific region. Lizelle’s experience demonstrates her proficiency in culture development, leading change, talent management, and organizational development. Lizelle’s contributions to different organisations and regions have showcased her ability to implement and drive HR policies and strategies aligned with broader corporate goals.

In an exclusive interview for Manage HR APAC, Lizelle Masson shares the challenges and trends in the domain, along with her valuable insights for budding HR professionals.

Could you provide a brief overview of your experience in the HR sector?

I’ve dedicated 18 years to a career in the HR sector, commencing as an HR officer in a small organisation. During my journey, I was fortunate to encounter numerous development opportunities. The companies underwent mergers and acquisitions, which presented me with multiple learning experiences. I progressed from being a HR specialist to a HR manager and ultimately assumed the role of a HR Director overseeing the African region. A significant point in my career occurred when I was offered the chance to join the global HR team, which required relocating my family to Finland. In this capacity, I held the position of the Vice President Service Business Unit, overseeing service business people operations globally and supporting the company’s global strategy implementation. Two years into the new role, a development assignment opportunity in Australia presented, allowing me to leverage of my prior experience and do a dual role as Global Service Business HR lead and Local Regional Asia Pacific HR lead. I embraced the opportunity to contribute to and lead the regional HR team in Asia Pacific. This allowed me to gain insights about the business practices in Australia and other Asian countries.

In further developments in the region, as result of the global merger of Metso and Outotec, I was appointed to lead the Asia Pacific HR function. Working in this role for almost four years, my efforts have been directed towards various initiatives such as leading the people integration during the merger, culture development, change management, talent acquisition, talent development, and engagement across multiple countries in the region.

What are the challenges you face in the HR field? Can you elaborate on some pain points that your company come across?

Currently, the employment market actively fosters the growth of its talents, resulting in a challenging task of recruiting and retaining skilled employees. Given the heightened demand for talent, companies must differentiate themselves and offer unique value propositions.

Additionally, as part of the ongoing adjustment post-pandemic, employees have become accustomed to remote work environments which does present challenges in terms of fostering a strong company culture and facilitating knowledge transfer.

How does Metso mitigate the various challenges it comes across?

Metso places a significant emphasis on leadership development, firmly believing that self-aware leaders have the capacity to prioritise people. We offer Metso leadership training programs that is specifically designed to adapt to changing industry trends and evolving leadership expectations.

Metso place a strong emphasis on offering development opportunities and cultivating an inclusive environment, where employees experience a sense of belonging and have the chance to thrive within the organization. This, in turn, empowers employees to discover opportunities to learn and develop, to contribute fully and explore diverse career options that deviate from a linear trajectory. We focus on individual growth, employees can engage in meaningful conversations with their superiors regarding their ambitions and future growth opportunities, whether through training or job rotation they can explore their strengths.

“We take pride in creating a workplace where employees are encouraged to be themselves and explore their full potential”

Transitioning to a hybrid work model has been a key initiative in our organization, aimed at helping our employees establish a better work-life balance. We’ve actively encouraged our teams to collaborate and find optimal solutions that work for both individuals and the company as a whole. This approach has allowed us to reintegrate employees into the office environment while still preserving the flexibility necessary to meet personal and company goals. We’re proud of the success this approach has yielded for teams, with numerous success stories that have positively impacted our business.

Employee engagement and culture development is a key driver. We strive to foster an inclusive environment that people aspire to be part of. To accomplish this, we conduct quarterly surveys with our people, to track our development and listen to our employee voice. The surveys are followed up with in-person discussions lead by our senior leadership team. We are invested in our people and want to listen and act on suggestions. Employee wellbeing is imbedded in our people centric culture. Healthy employees who find fulfillment in their work and feel a strong sense of belonging within the company, is a recipe for remarkable achievements.

Metso have actively facilitated social interactions to create opportunities for our people to reconnect with one another. By promoting such interactions within our organization, employees make significant contributions to our culture development. Our culture is in a constant state of evolution as we strive to become better versions of ourselves every day. While we acknowledge that we’re not “perfect,” our commitment to continuous improvement drives us forward.

Multiple approaches and strategies are constantly evolving in the HR industry. Which among those excites you the most?

HR needs to be on par with the ever-evolving business and technology landscape. One intriguing development on the horizon is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into HR practices. At the outset, I had my reservations, acknowledging that a computer couldn’t entirely replicate the human experience. The integration of AI into HR practices holds the potential to free up valuable time for HR professionals by handling repetitive tasks. This, in turn, allows the HR function to focus more on their business partnerships. We should look at how technology can complement HR and have the courage to explore. I am excited about this.

What advice about working in the HR sector would you offer aspiring HR entrepreneurs and your peers who will be reading this article?

In HR there exists a multitude of opportunities to make meaningful impact, do not underestimate your impact. HR is a diverse field, not one day is the same. If you are open to learning and embrace a growth mindset the journey is filled with opportunity and professional development