Rebecca Lester, People & Development Business Partner – Recruitment at Mollie’s Motels

Rebecca Lester’s role was to implement and manage the recruitment strategy for Mollie’s Motels, a motel, diner and drive-thru chain inspired by the classic American diner. 

• Prior to Lester joining the company, Mollie’s recruitment drive was managed solely by line managers. Her contribution to the company has been significant as she has brought structure, control and success to the recruitment practices.
• She has created a workplace culture that is welcoming to all employees, and a clear strategic recruitment policy focused on building and growing Mollie’s to scale.
• Lester has implemented programmes and initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equality and inclusion, such as unconscious bias training and employee resource groups. She ensures that the company taps into a wider talent pool and creates a more inclusive workplace.
• She also instigates and nurtures community partnerships to give access to employment and apprenticeships for current and new employees and sits on a Neurodiversity forum, which shows a commitment to understanding and supporting employees with diverse needs. 

Judges’ comments 

In a very tight and competitive category, the judges felt that Rebecca Lester offered a solid written submission, but her interview with the judges eclipsed the opposition. If she were to win, Lester told the judges, she wanted to use it as a platform to promote inclusion and support neurodiversity initiatives. “She demonstrated a commitment to understanding and supporting employees with diverse needs. Lester stressed ‘one size does not fill all’ and that recruitment needed to focus on inclusive processes, with her assertion that ‘Diversity of the Workforce’ was a critical factor in commercial revenue. As the war in Ukraine intensified,” the judges noted, “Lester immediately provided support by reaching out through forums and Ukrainian job boards to successfully recruit refugees into the teams across both Mollie’s sites. She also supported them to adapt to life in the UK by arranging UK life language courses, translation tools and supporting them to make friendships and connections in work.” In the judges’ view, Lester’s inspiring and engaging personality would be a perfect role model for other recruiters. Finally, the judges felt that Lester was an outstanding brand ambassador for her company.