Originally published by Vet-Advantage on June 2, 2021
Covetrus vice president of global talent management, Stacey Shirra, spoke with VetAdvantage about what motivates her and her journey to the animal health industry.
Whether it’s a new country or a new industry, Stacey Shirra craves the opportunity to learn new things.
Your post with Covetrus is a newly created one. Can you explain the role of a talent management executive?
Shirra: Easily put, it’s about finding out what the company needs when it comes to people and making sure we get the right people. Then when we get the right people, making sure that we keep them. You can get complicated and technical, but generally speaking, that’s it.
How do you personally continue to develop and educate yourself?
Shirra: When I moved from sunny Scotland to Tokyo, without learning Japanese, it got me into a completely different culture, so I was forced to learn. I made assumptions that we were similar, and that isn’t the case, and it’s fascinating to me how people approach things in different countries with their beliefs, values, and the way they show up in the world.
I started to really get into lifelong learning when I moved to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, they also spoke English, so it was easier to get around. I started in night school taking classes. I was working on a certificate, and I was one of the oldest people in the class, but that also had learning potential. I was learning something that I could do on the job, and I was learning about the culture from the locals. That’s really been a theme for every country I’ve lived in. I have been blessed to meet some wonderful folks, many of whom I am still in close contact with.
Read the full interview here: https://vet-advantage.com/vet_advantage/lifelong-learning-with-stacey-shirra/