Our People | Smart WFM

Meet Rob Scott, COO & CHRO

Written by Rob Scott | January 13, 2024

Superpower

I've always been fascinated with diverse perspectives and how they can be leveraged. By learning from one domain and applying it to another area, you create transformation. I think my super-power is:

#Cross-Innovation

Those around me say that my superpower is having the ability to be a quiet thinker and analyser.

About

I was born in Boston, England but moved at a young age to South Africa with my Professional footballer father and arty mother. I was heavily influenced by both of their trades and left school wanting to study Architecture.

I didn't enjoy the mathematical requirements of Architecture, and after a stint in military service, I got my first job in a "Personnel Department" copying paper-based records into an HR technology system. I continued my studies to a Masters level in HR, IT and psychology.

The rest is history, spending most of my career as an HR professional and advisory consultant/leader in HR, people, technology and the future of work.

Professional details

For the last 30 years, I have focused on challenging the way People are valued and maximised in the work environment, and in particular how technologies are used to create efficient business operations through people.

I spent 10 years as a hands-on HR practitioner in the chemical industry, before moving into consulting. I spent 10 years at Deloitte, and 10 in a specialist HR company called Presence of IT (subsequently acquired by Deloitte (AU) in Dec 2019). Currently, I’m the Chief Operating Officer and CHRO at Smart WFM - where I focus on optimising business operations and creating the best experience for our employees and clients.
I bring a unique mix of business, psychology, technology, and HR experience into discussions, and enjoy exploring innovative ways of building people and business success.

Find out more about me on my LinkedIn