Rachel Curnow (OH 2009)

When Rachel Curnow (OH 2009) left Melbourne to explore Europe, she had no idea that she would end up taking on a senior role at the iconic BBC.

During Year 10 at Haileybury, Rachel Curnow joined a school trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, and it changed her life.

“That was only my second trip out of Australia and it made me realise that I wanted to travel. My eyes were opened to the fact that there was a whole other world out there,” says Rachel.

That trip, and the perseverance and resilience she developed at Haileybury, have helped Rachel forge a career that has led to her current role as Head of People Strategy and Delivery at the BBC in London.

Rachel is part of a team responsible for rolling out an ambitious three-year people strategy focused on driving a creative, innovative culture admired worldwide, where people come to do their best work. It will enable the broadcaster to create a diverse, inclusive and rewarding workplace for its 1,500 employees who work across 50 countries.

Rachel has come a long way since Year 8 when she was part of the first group of girls to join Haileybury’s Brighton campus.

“I was never super academic but being surrounded by bright people made you want to be better, and our teachers were so invested in their students. They expected us to work hard but they knew exactly what support we needed,” says Rachel.

After graduating, Rachel studied Law and Business at La Trobe University and joined the Financial Ombudsman. But rather than working in the legal area, her interviewers felt she was better suited to HR.

“In HR I realised you can have such an impact on someone’s experience at work, and that impacts their whole life. You could see the value of your work on people’s everyday lives,” she says.

In 2014, Rachel joined the NAB HR Graduate program which was an effective springboard for the next phase of her career. Coupled with completing her Masters in Human Resources at Monash University, through the NAB Graduate program Rachel was exposed to different areas and roles within the banking organisation and, after five years, she decided to take her experience overseas.

Armed with a two-year working visa, Rachel headed to London and landed a senior consultant role with Ernst & Young. She was part of the HR transformation practice and during her five-and-a-half-years with the business, Rachel worked with large, multinational companies, including the BBC.

“One of my key projects was supporting the transformation of the BBC HR function; delivering exciting projects focussed on organisational design, capability development and process optimisation,” explains Rachel.

After the birth of her first child and maternity leave, Rachel was offered a role with the BBC.

“The BBC is a unique organisation with a strong purpose and global community impact,” she says.

“I work in the office two days a week and the rest of the time I work from home. I also travel to our various locations around the UK which has been great to understand how we deliver exciting content like the Paris Olympics and Glastonbury. This week I also watched the Six O’Clock News being delivered.

“When I came to London, I planned to stay for two years but time has passed quickly. I ended up meeting my partner, buying a house and having a baby, and six years later I’m still here. I like the lifestyle in London and Europe is so close. I’ve travelled a lot since moving here. Our baby is only 14 months old and has already been on 18 flights!”