What’s your story? #7: Chris Bulmer

The latest addition to our series of career path stories features Chris Bulmer, National General Manager, Learning and Development, for ISS Facility Services.

As a  definite ‘people’ person, Chris’ career has progressed from farmhand to school teacher to where he is now, changing the working lives of his many and diverse peers. He’s not quite the famous rock musician he wanted to be as a teenager – but he’s still a ‘star’!

Do you know someone whose career story should reach a wider audience?  Please drop us a line to let us know!

What’s your current position and what do you do?

I am National General Manager Learning and Development for ISS Facility Services.

The role is fairly new to the business and has been created to build a comprehensive Learning and Development platform for all team members to access in our organization. In two years we have created a learning structure that ensures that our people have access to training and development that supports their career path growth from Line level all the way through to senior leadership.

Its seems to be working well as our Employee Engagement scores relating to L&D have increased year on year since we started and for the past two years consecutively we have won the prestigious Customer Service Institute of Australia Training Excellence Awards!

What other activities are you involved in?

I have two great boys and spend a lot of my spare time on Mountain Bikes and riding the Gold Coast waves. My wife and I enjoy nice wines and we make sure that we all get away twice a year on overseas trips. Just back from Miami and New York City. I am a keen guitar player and enjoy playing music with friends when the opportunity arises.

Is this what you expected to be doing when you were at school?

No !!!!  I wanted to be a famous rock musician! I played in many bands before settling into life as a school teacher and ultimately the world of People and Culture.

What was your first job?

Farm hand on Dad’s farm. Free labour!! Musician was my first paying job and then teacher.

Can you tell us about a significant turning point in your career/life?

Meeting my wife Karen. I was messing around a lot and had no specific purpose apart from exploring the world and getting as much human experience as I could. When Karen and I got together I got focussed on career, owning a home and having a family. I still explore the world a lot as I am constantly travelling…. And take the family with me when I can.

Who do you admire? Who has inspired you?

My Father. He inspired me to have a go and work hard. He provided opportunities for me that he never had. Education was important to Dad as he had to leave school early to run his Dad’s farm. Thanks to him I got to go to Melbourne Uni and get a couple of Degrees. That made him very proud.

If there were no limitations, what would be in the future for you?

To successfully climb Mount Everest.

Finally, what would you tell your younger self about work and careers?

Never waste a minute of your life doing stuff that you don’t want to do or is boring. Pursue your Passion and never give up until you have nailed your goals and dreams. Don’t take yourself too seriously, have fun and always be good to your people!!