Why Rob Stanley Chose HSO
After working for some of the world’s largest technology organisations, Rob Stanley was looking for something different. He wanted the scale to deliver for major customers, without the bureaucracy that can come with it.
“I wanted an organisation that had scale internationally, but was still small enough to be nimble, agile and close to its clients.”
What were you looking for in your next move?
I was coming from a very large global systems integrator, and over time I felt the size of the organisation had started to make it harder to move quickly and respond to customers.
I wanted to find somewhere that still had scale and international capability, but was small enough to be agile, make decisions quickly and stay close to clients.
Culture was also really important to me. I wanted to get back to working in an environment where people were collaborative, approachable and willing to help each other.
What attracted you to HSO?
The first was the direction of the business. HSO’s focus on business solutions, digital transformation and Agentic AI really interested me because that is where I believe the market is heading. Technology infrastructure is becoming increasingly commoditised, while the real opportunity is in transforming how organisations and their processes actually work.
The Microsoft focus was another major attraction. Having worked at Microsoft myself, I know the ecosystem well and I know many of the people within it. The pace of change in technology means it is increasingly difficult to be an expert across every platform, so I liked the fact that HSO had made a clear choice about where it wanted to focus.
What appealed to you about the role itself?
I’ve worked in a number of different sales roles, both in specialist positions and more traditional customer facing roles, and I’ve spent time working specifically with the public sector.
It is a sector I know well and genuinely enjoy working in. There is also a lot of change taking place within public sector organisations, with more commercial thinking and new technology being introduced, so there is a real opportunity to bring ideas and approaches from other industries into that environment.
I also liked that the role at HSO wasn’t going to be too narrowly defined. There is an expectation that you get involved, help where there is a need and solve whatever is in front of you. I enjoy that.
What were your first impressions after joining HSO?
The people probably stood out more than anything else.
Everyone I spoke to was incredibly welcoming. People gave me their time, offered to help and made themselves available when I had questions.
Even when people were clearly very busy, they still found the time to point me in the right direction or help me understand something.
The culture was one of the most important things I was looking for when I joined, so seeing that so clearly in those first few weeks was really encouraging.
Has HSO delivered the agility you were looking for?
Yes. One of the things I enjoy is that there is much less of a sense of people protecting their own territory.
It is not a case of saying, “that’s my job, you can’t do that.” It is much more about asking where the problem is and how we can help solve it.
Coming from a much larger and more hierarchical organisation, it is refreshing to be able to see something that needs doing and just get on with it. There is a real sense that people are willing to muck in and help each other.
How did you find the experience of joining the business?
Getting up and running was really slick.
The technology and systems were ready quickly, the initial meetings were organised well and I knew who to speak to if I had a problem.
Understanding how the wider organisation works takes a little longer because HSO is very relationship driven. A lot of it is about understanding who does what and who you need to speak to in order to get something done.
That made those early conversations with people around the business particularly important. Once you start building that network, things become much easier.
How quickly did you feel part of HSO?
Pretty quickly.
I’m only a couple of months in and there is still a huge amount to learn, but it doesn’t really feel alien anymore.
I’ve already been involved in customer events, webinars, opportunities and working closely with colleagues across the public sector team. At some point you stop thinking of yourself as the new person and you are simply getting on with the job.
I think that happened much sooner than I expected.
What advice would you give someone joining HSO?
Be proactive.
There is a lot happening and there will always be things you don’t know when you first join. My approach has simply been to find the right person, pick up the phone and ask.
People here will help you, but you also have to take ownership of getting to know the business.
If you come in with that mindset, get involved and build relationships, you can become part of HSO very quickly.