FIVE MINUTES WITH… CHARLOTTE WALKDEN, DOLCE’S HR DIRECTOR

Charlotte Walkden was appointed Dolce’s HR Director when she was 30 years old, after rapidly rising through the ranks.

Charlotte joined Dolce as a temp and quickly became a permanent member of the team. Since then, she hasn’t looked back and has risen through the ranks and completed studying as well.

We sat down with Charlotte to hear more about her travels in Australia, how she realised HR was the career path for her, her rapid progression and how she likes to unwind outside of work.

Green Apple Email Spacer
Were you always interested in a career in HR?

I went travelling after uni to South East Asia and then spent two years in Australia. During that time, I ended up house sharing with someone who was quite senior in HR. She was incredibly kind and managed to arrange for me to spend some time shadowing her at work, which opened my eyes to what HR entailed.
I never thought I would come away from Australia with a career path in mind – I went travelling with my boyfriend, and just wanted to see the world a bit. We spent time working on farms (which was back-breaking work!), in bars, waitressing – that kind of thing. My mind wasn’t on finding my career passion, it all happened naturally. And here I am!

You’ve been working at Dolce for nearly seven years – but you originally joined as a temp – is that right?

Yes, I returned from travelling and needed to earn some money, so I signed up with a temp agency to tide me over until I found a permanent role in HR. I was placed at Dolce for a short-term administration role.

After three months, they offered me a permanent position and were happy to help support me into a HR career. I was appointed HR Assistant. I felt really lucky to have found a company that were willing to take a chance on me.
You’ve progressed quickly through the ranks. How did you move from HR Assistant to HR Director?

After a year as HR Assistant, I was then promoted to Recruitment Manager, where I looked after recruitment, onboarding, training and learning & development. After one and a half years, I was appointed as Interim Head of Department, which quickly became a permanent role.

Then, in November 2024, there was a small internal restructure, and some of the finance function started to report into HR. It was at this point I was promoted to HR Director. We’re a nine-person team, spanning HR and payroll.

Since joining Dolce, I have worked closely with Scott Curtis, the Managing Director. I report directly to Scott and we have a good working relationship. Dolce have supported me through formal qualifications. Studying alongside work is a juggling act but I have finished Level 3 CIPD, and am part-way through Level 5.

It’s all happened naturally, and I think it’s a combination of hard work and having an employer who has recognised my potential. Not everyone has that support or opportunity at work, so I’m really fortunate.

What do you love most about your job?

There are a few things! I really enjoy working alongside different Managers, working with them to progress their teams and seeing who the next rising star at Dolce will be.

I also really enjoy HR’s role in implementing Dolce’s business plans and identifying key trends and challenges to make sure we have happy and motivated teams. Dolce has significantly grown during my time here – our headcount is just shy of 2,200 members of staff, which is around 1,000 more than when I first joined. I’m excited for the next 5–10-year growth plan and how HR will play a role.

And, I know this sounds cheesy, but the people I work with make a huge difference. Working with genuinely good people, day in day out, makes work so much nicer!
What do you do outside of work?

I’m a busy person – I’m quite sociable and love seeing my friends. I have five nephews and nieces and my boyfriend and I like spending time seeing them too.
I also love walking and hiking. One of my goals this year is to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks – I need to make proper plans to do this otherwise it may become something I do next year through lack of training!

Dolce works in catering. We’ve got to ask – what would be your ‘death-row’ meal?

This is difficult to choose as I’m a big foodie.

For starter, it would be a prawn cocktail. I once had a prawn cocktail with chopped apple and pear in, which was divine, so I’d have that exact same one, with nice big chunky prawns.

Next, I’d have beef wellington, with baked broccoli and garlic on the side, big chunky chips and a red wine jus gravy.

Then I’d have sticky toffee pudding. I don’t always choose dessert, but this is my favourite. With lots of toffee sauce.

Thanks Charlotte!
The Dolce team

Want to get to know more Dolce employees? Check out our other ‘Five Minutes with…’ blogs on the Dolce Hive.