I began my career as an HR officer at Avance, a large bakery business in Maidstone, Kent.

As a novice I thought HR was about managing personnel files, processing holiday forms and being a shoulder to cry on. How wrong could I be? The bakery employed 150 people and a further 70 agency workers each week - many of them new immigrants. Tasks included passport checks as well as ensuring shifts accommodated noon prayers.

Two weeks after I joined, the HR director left so I was on my own - a 19 year-old girl in a very male-dominated, environment. I learned about disciplinary procedures, redundancies and absence but the most useful skills I gained were in communication and negotiation.

Four years of study, a management qualification and a couple of roles later I am head of HR for an IT and telecoms recruitment company, managing a team of two, with a focus on employee involvement, communication, engagement, and learning and development.