[FEATURED MEMBER] Fernando Barrón de los Santos

Fernando Barrón de los Santos

People Business Partner, IM & Labor Relations, Ericsson

What is your role?

At Ericsson, we present the function with reference to “human capital” and not necessarily “resources”. I currently have several hats:
- I am People Business Partner for support functions and our R&D Centre, which has around 250 members of staff in France of over 45 different nationalities.
- I am also international mobility manager for our customer unit, which includes France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Algeria and Tunisia and has around 1,200 employees.
- Until the end of September, I was also responsible for compensation and benefits for these countries, a role that I have now delegated to take on new duties, namely social relations for France.

What is your hidden talent?

I find ways to send people anywhere in the world, and depending on their disposition, with or without a return clause!
Joking aside, I am a real fan of sport, I combined my job with a semi-professional footballing career until 2019!  I miss it greatly. Never stop doing what you love!

What do you like the most about your job?

It’s wonderful to be able to be in touch with the whole world from your office.
Touching upon different fields, such as labor law, taxation, immigration and social security, not forgetting payroll or compensation, is great experience, giving a very holistic perspective on the function and opening many doors.
It is a field that is constantly changing, with new challenges arising every day.
On the People Business Partner side, I am proud to be developing human capital strategy, reflecting on and building around values and the challenge of talent retention.

Any advice for people new to the profession?

Always be flexible, respectful and disciplined. Follow your intuition and go and find out what awaits you in the world of work; the same role can be very different in different companies.
I highly recommend starting out with an internship or work-study program, which offers a superb opportunity to get a feel for the world of work and check that the role meets your expectations.

About Ericsson:

Ericsson is a Swedish telecommunications company founded in 1876. Learn more >> https://www.ericsson.com