Faizal Musa

I knew I wanted a career in business management, but was unsure in which area. I wanted commercial experience but not at the expense of my ethical values.

My final placement was in HR, and so when a permanent role came up I applied for it straight away. I became the lead project manager for a major piece of HR work on compliance with new age discrimination legislation that involved the management of four project teams across the group. We managed to deliver on time and to budget, with a great deal of external recognition.

The programme allowed me to work in a number of different areas before I had to choose a specific route – I worked in Pharmacy, Funeralcare and Corporate HR. I like the fact that there’s a range of successful businesses to choose from and not one of them is owned by shareholders. This means business decisions are always in the interest of our customers, our members and the environment. So we’re successful and profitable, but always with a conscience.

I’ve found all the senior managers to be very supportive. My immediate manager is very focused on career development, and that’s helped me move quickly through the review process. I’d like to move into a more generalist HR role within the next 6 months. After that I aim to be a senior business partner or in a projects role within the next 5 years.

It’s not just experience that I’ve gained either. Since I’ve been with the Group I’ve been supported to achieve a postgraduate certificate in management, and an MA in Human Resource Management - which has led to a professional CIPD accreditation. I’m also a Prince2 qualified project manager. The Co-operative Group has supported me financially and by giving me time for study during these courses.