Claire Webster, 43, is HR Director at Avantia, the parent company of specialist home insurance provider Homeprotect. The married mother of three, who lives in southwest London, is responsible for creating and delivering the people strategy and overseeing the day-to-day HR function. Claire has been with the company since 2015 and has previously held senior and global HR roles across various organisations in the financial services and consultancy sectors.
Usually I’m awake by 6am, unless my 4-year-old is feeling particularly energetic. I shower, get the kids ready for school and race out the door to get the train if it’s an office day. I work part-time, so I often use my commute to clear my inbox and get up to speed with anything that’s cropped up, so I know my priorities for the day. And on my work-from-home days, I start my day by setting clear goals so I can best prioritise my time.
Whether in the office or working from home, the first thing I do is check in with my team, ensuring they have support on live HR issues or ongoing projects.
At Avantia we truly embrace a culture of flexible working, so most people work a hybrid pattern, and there’s a high level of trust in people to get things done whilst balancing other things in their life. It’s helped us attract talent from outside of the industry and all over the country. And I think it’s an important reason why we’ve been recognised as a Great Place to Work for five years in a row.
I normally have a 1-2-1 with one of my team, checking if they need any support or guidance with any project or live issue. Afterwards, I may have an SLT (Senior Leadership Team) or board meeting. Usually, I’d have another couple of meetings related to a live project. Recent topics include developing our new Human Capital Strategy for the next five years, implementing our new people system and discussing a future leaders’ development programme. I spend a large amount of time working on current priority projects, and informal office catch-ups.
Hybrid working has helped us attract talent from outside of the industry and all over the country.
One virtual meeting I had recently was with our CEO, Mark Eastham, to discuss our upcoming Town Hall, an in-person event we do a couple of times a year. It’s a really good opportunity to get the whole business together, hear presentations from different teams and invite an external speaker – this time it’s John Sills, founder at customer growth consultancy The Foundation, who we’ve previously partnered with to help us improve transparency within our customer journey.
Lunch is a chance to reset. I often bring in home-cooked leftovers or a relatively healthy option I’ve batch-cooked and frozen. It allows me to indulge in guilt-free chocolate at night. But whenever we have a Brunch Bunch event laid on — which we usually do monthly for our employees — I take time out to connect with others and eat the delicious food.
The nature of work is evolving rapidly, and with the advancement of AI and technology, roles are becoming more technical. While some organisations are trying to bring people back into the office, we’ve seen a broader shift in the employee-employer relationship — people expect more from their work, be it flexibility, development opportunities or a sense of purpose. Employers that fail to adapt to these changing expectations may struggle to attract and retain the talent they need.
Early adoption of machine learning has been key to our strategy, both in technology and in how we structure and support our people. We invested in building our first proprietary platform in 2017. We’ve created a unique employee structure and culture, bringing specialist talent from other sectors to develop our in-house platforms.
As automation reduces administrative tasks, organisations will need to invest in developing their people, not only in acquiring new technical skills but also in supporting career transitions. Many employees may have envisioned spending the rest of their careers in roles that are now evolving, and it’s critical to help them develop the confidence and adaptability to thrive in a more tech-enabled world.
People expect more from their work, be it flexibility, development opportunities or a sense of purpose.
If someone is looking to advance their career in HR, I’d advise them to actively drive their own development and be open to a wide range of opportunities. There’s a wide array of career paths available in HR, and gaining experience in different areas can be invaluable.
I started out in training, moved into a generalist role and have worked in project/change management too. I’ve worked in large global matrix organisations and small, 40-person companies. I’ve worked predominantly in the UK but have been fortunate to take on projects and collaborate with teams across different parts of the world.
We’re entrepreneurs at heart at Homeprotect, always looking for better ways of working. When we couldn’t find the right decisioning tool for our customers, we built one. Today, tech specialists work across our entire business, making sure our digital tools work as smartly as we do. That same mindset applies to career growth: embracing new challenges and adapting to change can open doors to unexpected opportunities.
My afternoons are often a mix of strategy, collaboration and problem-solving. A big part of my role is ensuring that our inclusive culture isn’t just words on a page but a lived experience for everyone at Homeprotect.
I also dedicate time to examining how we can continue improving gender diversity across all business areas. I’m incredibly proud that our efforts have helped increase female representation from 27% in 2019 to 45% in 2024. I actively work on retaining and attracting top female talent.
Beyond that, my afternoons are often spent collaborating with colleagues across departments to ensure we’re constantly evolving. Whether reviewing skills-based hiring approaches, maximising individual and team performance or improving communication across the business, I aim to create an environment where all employees feel supported and empowered to succeed.
The nature of my role means I can easily get pulled into lots of live discussions on unexpected topics. So I block out my diary a week in advance, so I’m clear on how much time I need to spend on critical activities. I often don’t complete the work at that specific time, but it helps me manage what time I have over the week for ad hoc matters.
My train ride home is my mental shift. After responding to any last emails, I’ll catch up on the day’s news or listen to a podcast before switching to home life mode.
As automation reduces administrative tasks, organisations will need to invest in developing their people, not only in acquiring new technical skills but also in supporting career transitions.
I try to maintain firm core working hours, especially with family commitments. But I understand that HR leadership needs to be adaptable and if something urgent arises, I’m always available. Flexibility goes both ways for me, and one of the lessons I’ve learned is balancing responsiveness without burnout.
I usually cook dinner for my husband and I, unless he’s worked from home and finished first. We then get the kids ready for bed, bags packed and uniforms laid out for the morning; and we’ll then chat about our days and watch our latest favourite TV show. We’re currently trying to overhaul a tired 1930s house, so house-renovation planning is also on the agenda.
I go to bed around 10 pm. We’ve had experts talk to us at Homeprotect about giving yourself the best possible chance of a great night’s sleep, so I’d like to say I don’t look at screens and spend time journalling. Still, I typically watch TV or respond to personal messages and emails. But I’m typically asleep within 60 seconds of the lights going off.