150 | How She Went From HRD to the Firm’s First Chief People Officer (With Victoria Pounder)

Aug 1, 2025

Victoria Pounder, Chief People Officer at Moore Kingston Smith, shares her remarkable journey from HR Director to pioneering a brand-new CPO role. She discusses the importance of building influence and trust within an evolving organizational culture during growth. Victoria emphasizes the balance between strategic talent management and protecting core values. She highlights the challenges of work-life balance, networking in HR communities, and embracing vulnerability as a leader, providing invaluable insights for aspiring CPOs and current HR professionals.

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ANECDOTE

Created CPO Role With Business Case

Victoria built a formal business case and went through a panel process to create the CPO role.
She argued the firm's product is its people and needed exec-level priority to succeed.

INSIGHT

CPO Remit Is Vast And Strategic

The people function now spans roughly 25 distinct areas and links directly to business performance.
As CPO you must constantly zoom between detail and strategic direction under higher stakes.

ADVICE

Build Influence Through Trust

Invest time to know stakeholders, how they work, and what keeps them awake to earn influence.
Use empathy and steady relationship-building to align senior leaders behind people strategy.

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What if there’s no Chief People Officer role in your organisation - but you know it needs one, and you think you’re the right person for it?

In this episode of HR Coffee Time, host Fay Wallis is joined by Victoria Pounder, Chief People Officer at Moore Kingston Smith - a multi-disciplinary firm providing audit, accountancy, advisory and tax services to a diverse range of clients. Victoria shares her inspiring journey of growing with the firm over 14 years - from being the first Head of HR to HR Director, and eventually making the case for a brand-new Chief People Officer role that she then stepped into.

She talks openly about what the step up has been like so far, how she’s built influence and trust over time, and how she’s stayed focused on culture during rapid growth and change. There’s plenty to take away - especially if you’re aiming for a CPO role yourself, or want to lead with more impact and confidence in your current one.

Chapters From This Episode

[00:00] Welcome and introduction to Victoria Pounder

[01:00] Creating a CPO role from scratch

[03:20] Building the business case and going through the panel interview process

[04:03] The differences between being an HRD and a CPO

[06:40] The importance of influence in the CPO role

[08:51] How trust helped her lead behind the scenes

[12:32] Key skills and habits that have helped her succeed

[14:45] How a non-HR project changed her perspective

[18:17] Culture, growth and protecting values under pressure

[23:06] Balancing career, family and mental wellbeing

[25:19] The role of HR communities

[27:08] Advice for aspiring CPOs

[28:22] Final advice for new CPOs

[37:16] Book recommendation and conclusion

Useful Links

Book Recommendation From This Episode

HR Disrupted by Lucy Adams (Amazon affiliate link – Fay will earn a small commission from Amazon if you choose to purchase the book via this link)

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