After a career that has spanned retail banking, law, beauty and global drinks, Ashley Wickham-Byrne has learned that people strategy only works when it stays close to the business. Now people and culture director at online retailer The Whisky Exchange, she brings together operational understanding, learning and development expertise and a strong belief in personalised employee experience.
Based in Wiltshire and commuting into Park Royal in West London, Ashley splits her time between home working and long drives to the office, often accompanied by podcasts, country music and a carefully planned to-do list. Married to Mark and rarely without the company of her two miniature long-haired dachshunds, Daisy and Dora, she starts her days quietly, resisting her phone, watching the landscape outside and easing into the morning before work begins.
At 56, and with more than three decades behind her in people-focused roles, Ashley leads culture, capability and engagement across a fast-paced retail business rooted in expertise and customer trust. From spending time on the shop floor and in the warehouse to shaping agile ways of working and internal communications, her days reflect a hands-on approach to HR that values curiosity, creativity and staying grounded in how work really gets done.
I wake up around 6am and my first thought is always about the weather. What’s it going to be like today? I have a herbal tea to kickstart the day then spend a few moments looking out of the window at the fields and trees, hoping for a glimpse of wildlife. I avoid looking at my phone for as long as possible.
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My most important morning task is a cuddle session with my two mini long-haired dachshunds; then I’ll flick through The Human Times. A couple of mornings a week I get to a gym class or personal training session. If I’m working from the office that day I’ll drive into work. I have a long commute in the car which I fill with listening to podcasts like Blinkist, or plan my day while listening to music. I’m a big country music fan.
Whether working from home or in the office, the first thing I do is organise my desk. I’ll have a catch-up with team members in the office, check my diary so I’m ready for any upcoming meetings, then dive into emails.
My work days are really varied, which I love, but on most days I will check the various inboxes to catch any incoming mail that’s important to me. I’ll have one-to-ones with my direct team and other team leaders in the company. I had regular meetings with our managing director for updates and for planning sessions. This week I worked in our warehouse to learn engraving. I try to work in each of our shops in London too when needed. I’m happy to just chat to customers, tidy shelves and wrap up purchases, leaving the product advice to our expert spirits advisors.
I try to have a lunch break, but sometimes it’s a case of do as I say, not what I do, as there are certainly days when I don’t have time. When I do manage to fit in a lunch break I’ll go for a walk on the canal near our office, a little bit of tranquillity in the middle of Park Royal Industrial Area, or go for lunch with the HR team at a local restaurant. If I’m at home, I run round a field with the dogs a few times and practice some agility training with them.
It’s hard to disassociate from AI as it’s making waves for every person in every profession right now. But I think personalisation of employee experience is something that’s likely to continue evolving as it’s becoming increasingly more important in the modern workplace. Perhaps not innovation as we should always be thinking about this, but creating a project-based agile workforce is something I’m passionate about bringing into every workplace to ensure teams are successful.
For someone wanting to advance their career in HR, I’d say get involved in everything and be inspired by networking groups like MyHRCommunity. Go to conferences like Business Culture Connected. Keep close to business and AI innovation. I studied CIPD Level 7 Strategic HR Management whilst working and ultimately attained my MSc at the Society for Human Resource Management, which was good advice given by an HR director I worked with in Jersey. Ultimately, seize the day and don’t pigeon-hole yourself.
The afternoon is my creative time, so I schedule team meetings and brainstorms here. I do my planning or upcoming training or culture activities and take a walk through our workspace to chat to people from the different teams that make up our business.
In the HR room, we have a creative board designed by my team. On it is a quote of the month, a recommended book or film and a letter of the month. We use that letter when we need a reset during the working day, challenging ourselves to find as many tube stations, countries, bands, foods etc. that start with that letter. People from other teams love to visit us and join in.
My pet peeve about HR is the phrase “I have an HR issue”.
Creating a positive inclusive culture is integral to what we do and so I spend a lot of time trying to come up with ways to engage with people. This means that internal communications plays a big part, including writing a monthly Team Spirit newsletter.
To wind down, I take time to read articles from our intranet, or I complete some of our cybersecurity training. The last thing I do every day is check my calendar for the next working day so that I can feel prepared.
I tend to work later when I’m in the office as I have more meetings, both ad hoc and planned, and so have less time at the end of the day to finish outstanding pieces of work. I try to stick to core working hours on the days I work from home.
When I get home from work I have the best greeting from my dogs. It never fails to make me smile. I put on some country music and start cooking for my husband and me. I love cooking. Lasagne and fajitas are particular weekday favourites, with a couple of plant-based meals per week.
I really love to get outside. Walking the dogs and going for a run are particular favourite pastimes of mine, and I really enjoy photography. I also attend as many gigs as I can, as I love live music.
I tend to go to bed at around 10.45 and 11pm. Celynn Morin, a superb speaker on being your own chief effervescence officer, introduced her Wellculator to me, which has been an excellent influence on my sleep rituals. I use a lavender spray, practice breathwork and reflect on some events during the day to be grateful for.
