Alison Sibree, VP of HR, APAC and Japan, Oracle

VP of HR, APAC and Japan
ORACLE

As a 23-year veteran of Oracle, Alison Sibree has witnessed first-hand how rapidly changing the technology sector is. Oracle’s tech offerings are increasingly cloud-based, and this shift has coincided with the change in HR’s status within organisations. The technology used by Oracle’s own HR team is focused not just on making the lives of HR professionals easier but also on making the lives of employees easier – in other words, the focus is on the employee experience.

Sibree recognises the unique talent acquisition challenges facing a global company like Oracle, and with her regional perspective she acknowledges that talent challenges differ widely from location to location.

“Japan is my most challenging market because finding people with the right skills there, and who have the flexibility to move jobs and organisations, can be a challenge,” she tells HRD, “whereas in India or China I find people are more willing to jump to a new organisation, provided you have an attractive EVP."

She adds that digital transformation means that Oracle requires new employee skill sets, and those skill sets – such as a global mindset, agile thinking, and strong interpersonal skills because they have to deal with new ways of working – can be difficult to find.