In recognition of International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the women who are integral to our Company’s operations.
Tamaki Smith: Human Resources Coordinator
Tamaki has been with the Bermuda Electric Light Company (BELCO) Human Resources (HR) department for a year and says she has had the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of new areas and processes within the department. She also appreciates the Company’s push for professional development, having attended Excel courses and now working towards her Professional in Human Resources – International (PHRi) certification. Tamaki attended primary and secondary school in Bermuda and ventured to the UK to complete her bachelor’s degree.
One of her favourite parts of HR is finding a candidate who is the perfect fit for a role and then supporting them throughout the transition into their new position. She says it’s such a rewarding experience to be a part of someone’s journey of starting a new chapter in their career and life. She also likes the diversity of her role whether its facilitating work permits, preparing contracts or just observing negotiation meetings.
Tamaki appreciates that at BELCO all her colleagues are friendly and approachable, at every level. She also enjoys supporting an exciting and dynamic utility business. She says there are also many ways to get involved – whether that’s joining a committee, attending one of the social events or participating in the BELCO Giveback volunteer community days.
While HR is predominately female, and previously Tamaki had only worked alongside women in HR, she feels it’s beneficial to have gender diversity on a team which offers different perspectives, experiences and provides representation for all staff. She says she has never felt held back by her gender during her professional career.
Tamaki says her greatest asset in her role is to have empathy as when dealing with many different personalities and backgrounds, remembering to treat people on a human level, taking the time to understand and connect with them, is crucial to building trust and creating a positive environment. In addition, being able to multitask has also been extremely useful as there are always a number of things happening at once, so it’s essential to be able to manage, organise and prioritise tasks.
Outisde of work, Tamaki values good health and having a body free of illness and pain, which requires some discipline, but it’s worth it. She is also grateful for the love and joy of her cat, Bindi, her partner and close friends. Like many Bermudians, she also has a love for travelling, having been to over 15 countries, enjoying experiencing different cultures, landscapes and ways of life. Some of her most memorable moments include rappelling down a canyon, swimming with elephants and snow mobiling on a glacier. She also enjoys working out, gardening, and recently has started learning how to crochet.
Tamaki volunteers with the SPCA by walking dogs and cleaning the cat and rabbit crates. She says as an animal lover, it’s fulfilling to help in a small way and to see the animals find their forever homes. She also participates in some of the National Trust community days, planting trees and removing invasive species and recently participated in the Meals on Wheels BELCO Giveback day.
Some of Tamaki’s favourite things include that first sip of coffee, being out in nature, getting a good night’s sleep, games nights with friends, finding money in your pocket and a feel-good movie with an unlikely friendship, like The Intouchables or The Greenbook.
Tamaki says she has been fortunate to have worked with so many incredible women, with qualities that she deeply admires and has tried to adopt. As far as words of advice or encouragement for other women looking to get into HR, Tamaki said she would definitely encourage other women to get into HR – it can be an incredibly rewarding career that allows you to make an impact, not just within an organisation but in people’s lives. As with any career, a good place to start is to build on your skills and knowledge, network with other professionals in the industry, and try to gain some hands-on experience through internships and work shadowing programmes.
As for the future, Tamaki is looking forward to learning more about the business, building relationships, developing her skills and working with the HR team to create an environment where BELCO employees feel valued and supported.