
Luis Garcia
Head of HR, Legal and EAThe last 11 years at Vodafone have been an absolutely exciting journey of learning and growth for me.
I first joined Vodafone through the Spain Internship Programme in 2012, and had the opportunity to lead the wider intern community and support the Graduate programme. This was my first experience in HR, and it set the foundation for my career.
Then, after gaining experience in various companies and countries, I received a call from Vodafone to join as a Graduate. Despite receiving multiple offers, I knew that at Vodafone I would build a community, explore different business areas, and get to have international experiences. I was certain that it was the perfect place to accelerate my career.
I enjoy our customer-focused culture
From the very beginning, it was clear that our culture revolves around our customers, aiming to build a brand they love, gain their trust, and provide a simple and excellent experience.
During my induction I spent weeks in our shops to understand our customers’ needs and experiences, and my initial months revolved around projects that ensured we were providing the best, most seamless services possible.
Since then, in every role and country I have worked in, the customer has always been our top priority. We recognise and reward customer-centric behaviors globally, ensure our employees have the skills and tools to create exceptional customer experiences, and prioritise employee wellbeing as a key element of focusing on our customers. In the end, thriving employees build a thriving customer experience!
Being part of impactful projects
I believe that the most significant achievements in your career are those that leave a lasting impact on the organisation. These are the moments you hear about years later and can proudly say, "I was part of that."
In the seven years since I transitioned fully to the HR space, I’ve been part of three projects at Vodafone that I consider real milestones. First, my initial HR project in 2017 in New Zealand. We launched an initiative ensuring that every Exco member would lead a customer process ownership, giving customers a voice at the highest level of the organisation.
Second, the establishment of the Malaga and Dresden Innovation Hubs, where we expanded from zero to over a thousand employees in just two years. I managed the HR strategy end-to-end and it was one of my biggest challenges from a learning perspective. It felt like an accelerated HR Master's program in one year. My role involved everything from building the strategy and the EVP to creating resourcing capabilities, defining the employee experience, and choosing the property and facilities - all while collaborating with public authorities. What helped me deliver the project were all the previous experiences Vodafone offered me. One by one, I learned how to navigate change, deal with uncertainty, and build a network to get help and support. Vodafone’s people are the best thing about this company - there’s never a wrong question and everyone’s always willing to help.
Finally, I am really proud of my role in the launch of the Vodafone Network Youth strategy: a comprehensive programme and global community we’ve set up to develop young, diverse talent across 16 countries.
Where we’re heading at Vodafone
HR has always been a core player in Vodafone's overall strategy. We are currently undergoing a significant transformation, focusing on maintaining an excellent customer experience while keeping innovation at our core to bring new business opportunities. In HR, we are leading this transformation because it is critical that it starts with each of us. Our people are our greatest strength.
That’s why we’re continuing to invest in two main areas. Firstly, we are creating a more human employee experience, focused on upskilling and reskilling our employees with the latest technologies and expertise to provide the best customer experience.
Secondly, we’re adopting Gen AI, analytics, and the latest digital tools to simplify our internal processes, reduce manual tasks, and allow our people to focus on strategic impact and growth. In this context, we recently launched our new Gen AI HR Digital Assistant, which is already assisting over 90,000 employees worldwide with any HR-related questions in just one click. We have been pioneers in our development of this digital assistant, which has already had a significant impact. We have reduced response and resolution times compared to our previous digital agent, and seen a notable decrease in the number of tickets raised to our Ask HR team.
You can be in Spain and ask about a policy in Egypt, and solve any queries about your payslip in a few seconds. This would take days before. It’s a prime example of how we’re using technology to aid our simplification journey while enhancing the employee experience.
Opening the path for others
From the beginning as an intern here, I was given responsibilities and trust, with special upskilling during the Graduate programme. I’ve been on an international assignment on the other side of the world for a couple of years, and I’ve participated in talent accelerator programs that allowed me to build internal and external networks for support.
Now, this is exactly how I support growth in others. I provide challenges that help them grow, and allow space to fail, learn, and reflect. I talk about career aspirations and help them navigate their journey, understanding that, in the end, each of us is responsible for driving our own growth.
If you also enjoy opening the path for others, Vodafone is definitely the place for you. I wake up every day excited for a new day, and considering we spend so much of our lives at work, being passionate about what you do is very important!