blog 2019 4 min read
Meet Emma Rudd, Director of People at disguise
Ever wondered who looks after bringing on board the brilliant disguise team? Emma Rudd heads up our people team, part of which means attracting new talent to disguise. With a wealth of experience from prior roles across a range of industries, including global SaaS tech and data analytics businesses, Emma joined us in March 2019 as Global Head of People. In 2021, she was promoted to Director of People.
Tell us more about your role at disguise…
As a dynamic, forward-thinking and growing company, it is my mission to ensure that we keep growing and to ensure that we are a company that attracts outstanding talent to make it work. Great people bring our brand and products to life for our community - that’s why we are committed to making our company a great place to work by continuously improving and innovating how we reward, develop and engage the talented individuals who make us tick.
Tell us a bit about your background, and what experience have you been able to bring to disguise?
My passion has always been to put talent management and development at the centre of the business agenda - proving, time after time, that investment in people should be a commercial priority in order to achieve high impact results and growth. I have led people management and development across a range of organisations over the past 15 years. I was HR Consultant for the events venue Vinopolis in London Bridge in the noughties, and worked for not-for-profits, like the Premier League’s Facilities Fund and the wonderful children’s mental health charity, The Place2Be, earlier in my career. My career has taken me into business insight, data analytics, SaaS and tech companies, in growing international markets, like the famous US-led employment market analytics company, CareerBuilder, and then Future Thinking, a data analytics agency, working with a range of clients from McDonald's to ITV.
My work to expand and integrate companies globally means that I know how to bring people together to realise a company’s vision and what tools and environment need to be in place to get there. My expertise in Organisational Development & Employment Law compliance – I studied for a Master of Laws (LLM) while Head of HR for the Premier League and FA’s Facilities Fund in 2012-13 – really helps in this pursuit.
What’s the best thing about working for disguise?
The people. I am often struck by the passion, expertise, creativity and innovative thinking displayed by the people at disguise. There is always a sense of the sky’s the limit for our products and our company, and I find that innovative nature so inspiring.
What excites you the most about working at disguise?
As a non-techie, even to me, it is obvious that our product is unique and game-changing. The demos and training I have received which showcase our products have left me awe-inspired. I am so excited to see how xR will be applied in Broadcast projects and I love how our technology is being used in the world of Theatre.
What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?
Listening really is the hardest skill; If you discipline yourself to listen and be open to learning, you grow further still. So, it has to be the advice to consider this key question when setting goals for oneself: Do you want to be good or get better? You feel a great sense of success when you do something well, time and again; but a far greater sense of achievement comes when we have stretched ourselves to do something new, which is out of our comfort zone.
What hobbies do you have outside of work?
I have been a comedy improviser in the not too distant past - think ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’, performing at theatre pubs in London Bridge. I love the theatre, particularly Shakespeare, as my undergrad degree was in English Literature. I do voluntary work coordinating activities for rehab patients in my local hospital and elsewhere mentor young people in key skills for starting out in employment. I am an avid follower of politics and current affairs. I also enjoy fine wines and possess a qualification in the subject, so it’s not just about the alcohol content for me, though that helps!
