Graduate Success Story

What has been your career progression at Lowe Rental?

2021 – Talent Assistant (Placement)

2022 – Brand Ambassador (during final year)

2023 – Talent Associate

2026 – Senior Talent Associate

What drew you to begin your career with the organisation?

What initially drew me to Lowe Rental was the opportunity to join a truly global organisation operating across multiple locations, supporting high profile events. As a Business Management student, I was particularly interested in the HR module of my degree, which sparked my curiosity about starting a career in a people focused role.

As part of my Business Management degree, I had the opportunity to complete a placement year and applied for the role of Talent Assistant at Lowe Rental. This role felt like a natural fit, as it combined my interest in HR with my strengths in communication and building relationships. I’ve always seen myself as approachable and people focused, so the opportunity to work in a role where I could support employees, engage with different teams, and contribute to the overall employee experience really appealed to me.

The scale of Lowe Rental, combined with its strong collaborative culture and emphasis on core values; Listen, Empower, Innovate and Accomplish, stood out to me as an exciting company to begin my career and develop those skills further.

How did your early expectations compare with the reality of the role?

When I first joined Lowe Rental as a Talent Assistant, I expected to gain hands on experience in the day-to-day aspects of HR, such as onboarding and recruitment. While this was certainly a core part of the role, the reality exceeded my expectations in terms of both the variety and level of responsibility I was exposed to.

From early on, I had the opportunity to support a wide range of activities across the Talent function, including company communications, compliance, and employee engagement initiatives. I was also trusted to contribute to and lead on key projects, such as employer branding, early careers, performance management, employment law research, and health and wellbeing initiatives. This gave me a much broader understanding of HR than I had anticipated during my studies.

The experience significantly supported my personal and professional development. In particular, I developed the confidence to communicate with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation, which came through leading projects and building strong working relationships across teams.

What opportunities have had the biggest impact on your development so far?

As I have progressed in my career at Lowe Rental, I have had the opportunity to take on a range of responsibilities that have significantly shaped my development.

One of the most impactful areas has been exposure to employee relations. Through this, I’ve built strong relationships with stakeholders across the UK, Spain and Asia, particularly through regular monthly manager meetings. This has strengthened my ability to navigate conversations, understand different perspectives, and provide practical support in a variety of situations.

Leading on global wellbeing initiatives has also played a key role in my development. I coordinated the training of 10 Mental Health First Aiders across the business, helping to build support networks globally. Alongside this, I created a dedicated wellbeing hub on our company intranet to provide accessible resources for employees, and delivered informational sessions on the role of Mental Health First Aiders to raise awareness of the support available, encouraging open conversations around wellbeing.

In addition, I have led employee forums for operational teams across the UK. This has created an open and collaborative space where employees can share challenges and actively contribute ideas and solutions. Facilitating these discussions has strengthened my ability to listen, drive engagement, and promote communication across teams.

Overall, these opportunities have enabled me to build confidence, develop strong stakeholder relationships, and take a more proactive role in shaping employee experience across the organisation.

Can you describe a challenge that helped you grow? What skills or strengths have you developed since joining? What has surprised you most about working here?

One of the most significant challenges I faced was stepping into a broader role while my manager was on maternity leave. During this time, I took on additional responsibility and was exposed to more complex employee relations issues than I had previously experienced.

This period pushed me outside of my comfort zone, as I was often dealing with situations I hadn’t encountered before. It helped me to build confidence in my own judgement, think more critically, and approach challenges with a solutions focused mindset. I also gained a deeper understanding of employment law, particularly across different regions, which strengthened my ability to support a global workforce.

What really supported my development during this time was the level of collaboration across the business. I worked closely with our CPO, HR consultant and line managers, which gave me the opportunity to learn from their experience, seek guidance where needed, and refine my approach to handling more complex matters.

What has surprised me most about working at Lowe Rental is the people and the culture that exists across the organisation. From the outset, I found people to be genuinely supportive, approachable, and willing to collaborate.

There is a real sense of teamwork across different functions and regions, with people open to sharing knowledge, offering support, and working together to find solutions. This has created an environment where you feel comfortable asking questions, contributing ideas, and learning from others.

How have you shaped your own development and career direction?

I try to take a proactive approach to shape my development by seeking out opportunities that push me beyond my comfort zone. This has included volunteering for stretch projects, delivering management trainings, and taking on new challenges across different areas of HR, which has allowed me to broaden my experience and further develop my skills.

I’ve also placed a strong focus on continuous learning. Shadowing my line manager has been a key part of this, giving me valuable insight into more complex decision making and how to approach a range of people and business challenges. Alongside this, I actively keep up to date with changes that impact HR, ensuring I’m building my knowledge and applying best practice in my role.

What would you say to someone starting their career with us?

My biggest piece of advice would be to be a sponge; absorb as much knowledge and experience as possible. Starting your career is a great opportunity to learn, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, listen carefully, and take on board any feedback you receive. Those early experiences really shape your development.

What are your hopes for the next stage of your journey?

As I continue in my new role as a Senior Talent Associate, I’m focused on building on my experience and taking on more responsibility within the Talent function.

I’m keen to further develop my expertise in employee relations and continue shaping initiatives that enhance the employee experience across our global teams. I also look forward to developing my ability to drive change, and support both employees and managers more effectively.