AMELIA SO
Human Resources Learning And Development
Bathgate,Scotland
Summary
A seasoned, results- driven Learning & Development Professional with a proven background in planning, design, implementing L&D framework and supporting people development in multinational organizations for years. Talented at deploying influencing skills with strengths on partnering with leadership teams and various stakeholders to build associate-centric learning culture and help promoting morale and optimizing productivity through motivation, excellent interpersonal, coaching and communication skills. Equip with conscientious, empathetic compassion and “can do” positive mindset for helping the development, engagement and retainment of associates. Acknowledge diversity, embrace inclusion and provide relative learning, development and engagement support based on equity, always approachable and welcomed by associates as a coach, a counselor and a facilitator in the region.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
Work History
Pupil Support Worker (Part Time)
West Lothian Council
12.2025 - 03.2026
Academy Manager
Hong Kong Ballet
10.2024 - 09.2025
- Managed the daily functioning of the academy with two separate studios, ensuring smooth operations and a positive learning environment.
- Led a team of three administrative staff, delegating tasks and fostering a collaborative workplace atmosphere.
- Coordinated with ballet teachers and pianists from diverse cultural backgrounds to schedule and facilitate classes, promoting inclusivity and collaboration.
- Acted as a key point of contact with headquarters, ensuring alignment on business objectives and operational needs.
- Established strong relationships with parents, addressing complaints and feedback in a professional and timely manner to enhance satisfaction and engagement.
- Collaborated closely with the finance team to oversee P&L, managing costs and profits to ensure the financial health of the organization.
- Prepared salaries for part-time teachers and managed additional work compensation for full-time staff, ensuring accurate and timely payments.
- Drafted service contracts for part-time administrative staff and teachers, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and regulations.
- Developed and implemented a scholarship program to support underprivileged children, promoting access to ballet education.
- (A management role for a Non-Profitable Organisation to run an Academy with 2 separate studios, oversees the operations of the studios and managing a team of 3 administrative staff with about 500 ballet students enrolled in the academy)
Associate Director of Organisational Development, Human Resources
AISL Harrow Schools
01.2022 - 10.2024
- Support in developing and retaining high-potential employees to ensure a robust leadership pipeline and long-term organizational success through talent identification and assessment, succession planning and providing advice on individual development programmes based on 10-20-70 learning model related to skill gap to prepare for filling future critical leadership roles.
- Employee Engagement through development and execution employee engagement initiatives to foster a positive work culture. Implement talent life cycle and employee surveys to measure and improve employee satisfaction, motivation, and commitment for Harrow schools and the group level of employees. The engagement index had been improved from 74% in 2022 to 78% in 2023.
- Team Development by designing and facilitating team-building activities and interventions such as team dynamic profile assessments to enhance team collaboration, alignment and productivity. Provide coaching advice and support to teams to drive high-performance and improvement within school and group.
- Improved the onboarding experience for new hires contribute to cultural assimilation, performance and employee engagement through leading the change on the induction programme in relation to the modular based content and approach.
- Lead engagement initiatives for group and align with other offices and schools to enhance employer branding and employee engagement.
- (Group Corporate role, with 11 schools in Asia - China, HK, Bangkok, Japan and a total of about 2,000 employee population)
Senior Human Resources Manager
VS & Co Production Office in Asia
05.2018 - 01.2022
- Talent Development including design and deliver talent development programs, including leadership and senior leadership development, employee training, mentorship programme and career development initiatives.
- Identify skill gaps and create learning solutions to enhance employee capabilities and promote career growth.
- Reporting to US L&D Lead, manage all the associate development and engagement programmes through creatives implementation covering Far East Region. (Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China).
- Establish great partnerships and relationships with the regional and global HRBPs to gain a strong understanding of current business issues and opportunities, as related to learning and development needs.
- Conduct regional learning and development needs analysis and create related training plans to ensure that associates have the required competencies to excel in their roles.
- Strategize talent development plan for the highlighted talents including those successors in the region through various level of leadership development programs and initiatives.
- Designing new programs with programs materials, such as the mentorship programme for high potentials, and implementing and facilitating high impact learning initiatives in line with business priorities alongside with the talent development pipeline.
- Working closely with global HR team on global programs, such as orientation, internship and new leadership programs etc. and to customize those programs implementation and facilitation methodology to match with regional needs in terms of cultural and business nature aspects.
- Continuously support in strengthening a high performing and engaging culture for the region through seamless programmes delivery on values workshops, being a strong advocate on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and monitoring the feedback from associate’s engagement survey.
- Collating and consolidating feedback on completed training to evaluate and measure results and make improvements where required.
- Conduct training trainer workshop for regional HRBPs to ensure effectiveness and consistency of message coverage in the Far East region.
- Aligning with global HR team, to source and recommend vendors to design, develop, and / or deliver learning solutions wherever applicable.
- Planning, managing the Learning & Development and Associate Engagement budgets for Far East region.
- Keeping a learning mindset to flex by designing new approaches using MS Teams in learning and development areas during pandemic as to connect, engage and continue share knowledge with associates in the region while travel mostly suspended.
- (a Regional L&D and staff engagement role, Head Quarter in US, Regional Head office in HK, with 5 regions - China, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Vietnam) and a population of about 2.000 associates)
Learning Partner
Godiva Chocolatier Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
06.2015 - 04.2018
- Reviewed all the training which was currently offered with the corporate associates in Asia Pacific region and ensured that it is fit for purpose of business and culture. Some of the programmes will be extended and facilitated to our franchise operators.
- Designed the learning and development framework for individual contributors and leader roles which support the bridging of competency gaps and in line with business needs.
- Supported in talent development initiatives and coaching programs for corporate and retail associates.
- Designed new learning programs and materials in Asia to map with new learning and business priorities needs in the region.
- Built strong relationship with regional business leaders and respective stakeholders to define / modify effective learning solutions and drive initiatives into actions through regular touch based in cadence.
- Worked closely with global HR team in implementing global learning and development programs on values and leadership for different types and levels of associates.
- Aligned with global HR Team, to source external vendors to implement the same leadership development programs for senior leaders in the region.
- Consolidated any feedback and follow up with participants after learning sessions.
- Monitored learning and development planning and budgets from both corporate offices and retail sections.
- (a Regional Corporate role, Head Quarter in Turkey, Regional Head Office in HK and a population of about 1,500 employees including retail, covering 7 regions in Asia- (China, Bangkok, Mongolia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia))
Learning and Development Responsible
H&M Global Production
11.2012 - 03.2015
- Built strong relationships, being sensitive and highly aware of the differences in cultures for 19 global production offices and established strong relationship with regional HRBPs.
- Worked closely in particular with 5 key regions for learning and development initiatives apart from global: India, China, Bangladesh, Turkey and Korea.
- Conduct learning and development needs and analysis and collate and understanding these needs aligned with all key regions.
- Plan the yearly learning and development framework with global offices to align with programs offerings and follow the road map of development plan from global.
- Defined and planned learning curriculums for talents and successors in line with production offices geographical expansion needs.
- In addition to orientation / induction programs, designed new programs and materials, leveraged best practices with global and regional offices and facilitated the respective programs for different levels of associates in the region.
- Organized train-the-trainer and mentorship programs for business units as part of the talent development initiatives and in line with business needs.
- Source regional vendors aligned with global for learning and development needs for senior leaders and business needs across region.
- Devised appropriate Learning and Development guidelines as a blueprint for all offices to sustain learning effectives and standard.
- Created and kept modifying the resourceful tools for assessment use on mentors and trainers.
- Initiated store attachment program yearly for connecting production and sourcing associates with retail as part of the induction journey for new hires and existing associates.
- Performed the super admin function for the organization learning management system to curate the training plans for associated and the identified talents and extract critical reports for analysis and planning.
- Monitored the learning and development budget for all 5 key regional offices.
- (a Regional Corporate role, Head Quarter in Sweden, Regional Head Office in HK and a population of about 3,000 production corporate employees, covering 5 main regions in Asia- (China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Korea))
Training Manager
Godiva Chocolatier Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
05.2005 - 10.2012
- Design and deliver various training programs including Godiva Professional Selling Skills, Communication Skills, Product Launch Training, Product Knowledge Programs, Train the Trainer programs, etc.
- Lead induction programs for both front line operation and back office.
- Conduct in shop coaching and role-play programs for all shops across Asia.
- Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training programs through assessment and feedback.
- Manage training budgets and resources.
- Plan and implement the training curriculum and calendar.
- (Regional role in providing staff training for the 7 countries across Asia – Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia)
Assistant Training Manager
General Mills
01.2003 - 12.2005
- Responsible for training & development programs with a focus in front line training for both internal and franchisee staff across the Asia region for the brand of Haagen-Dazs.
- (a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products based in Minneapolis.)
Training Coordinator
Achieve Global
01.2001 - 12.2003
- Provide administrative support to freelance training consultants.
- (an external training consulting firm)
Training Officer
Starbucks Hong Kong
01.2000 - 12.2001
- Responsible for the delivery of training programmes for front line operations. Setup Starbucks market for Hong Kong and had been to Seatle for a month training before business started up.
Manager Trainee / Shop Manager
Pacific Coffee Company
01.1997 - 12.2000
Education
Master of Science - Training and Human Resources Management
University of Leicester
United Kingdom09-2003
BBA - Hotel And Food Administration
University of Guelph
Ontario, Canada06-1997
Skills
- Crucial Conversations Trainer
- DDI Certified Trainer
- Leadership Inventory Coach
- NLP Practitioner
Languages
Cantonese
English
Japanese
Mandarin
Interests
Travelling to different countries and connect with diverse nationalities and people
Keep up lifelong learning by continuously attending external learning sessions, classes and workshops
Gardening and Fruits Harvesting
Animal and wildlife caring
Being adventurous
Creative and always desire to try and learn from new initiatives
Custom Section
Remote/Hybrid, Full Time/Part-Time/Hourly Rate
Timeline
Pupil Support Worker (Part Time)
West Lothian Council
12.2025 - 03.2026
Academy Manager
Hong Kong Ballet
10.2024 - 09.2025
Associate Director of Organisational Development, Human Resources
AISL Harrow Schools
01.2022 - 10.2024
Senior Human Resources Manager
VS & Co Production Office in Asia
05.2018 - 01.2022
Learning Partner
Godiva Chocolatier Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
06.2015 - 04.2018
Learning and Development Responsible
H&M Global Production
11.2012 - 03.2015
Training Manager
Godiva Chocolatier Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
05.2005 - 10.2012
Assistant Training Manager
General Mills
01.2003 - 12.2005
Training Coordinator
Achieve Global
01.2001 - 12.2003
Training Officer
Starbucks Hong Kong
01.2000 - 12.2001
Manager Trainee / Shop Manager
Pacific Coffee Company
01.1997 - 12.2000
BBA - Hotel And Food Administration
University of Guelph
Master of Science - Training and Human Resources Management
University of Leicester