Val Garside

Human Resources Director

Having spent most of my working life in Retail I joined the HR Team at Penguin Random House UK and discovered I’d found a place to call home. Five years on, now the HR Director and with a few bookshelf purchases along the way - I love my job.

We’re all about finding voices and my passion is building a home here where people from the widest range of backgrounds can come together and do the best work of their lives: from fire starters and trouble shooters; to wordsmiths and number crunchers; technical masters and social networkers; and big thinkers and practical doers.

For me, every day is as different as the people that work here. Thinking about what this means for our Purpose, Culture and everyday experiences lights a fire in my belly that keeps me here, despite my other passion for travel and underwater adventuring!

A book that's left a deep impression on me: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. So much hiding and suffering, yet so much humour. I couldn't put it down, and when I finally did - I was enraged by the the injustice of it all, but utterly warmed by the happiness of a life of triumph over adversity.

My literary hero: Peekay from The Power of One by Bryce Courtney.

A book I'd recommend to everyone: Recently, I loved Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s raw, and beautiful, and perfectly rock and roll. I wanted to be both Daisy and Camilla.

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