From Dancing to Doctorate to Director, with Nuna Staniaszek

Our profile series aims to put the remarkable achievements of individuals within the NFP sector into the spotlight. In this instalment, we’re excited to feature someone who has already found themselves in the spotlight on prestigious stages like the Royal Albert Hall!

Find out why and how Nuna Staniaszek, Director of Communications at IOM3, put her transformation project centre stage while simultaneously enabling her team to get on with their day jobs.

Q. Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about your role and IOM3?

I’m currently Director of Communications at the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3). At IOM3, we support professionals in materials, minerals, mining, and associated technical disciplines throughout their careers. We provide support through events, knowledge sharing, mentoring, and assisting our members in achieving chartered qualifications. Additionally, we have active member networks that support those who may be underrepresented in our profession. We also work to raise the profile of materials, minerals, and mining, and we are developing our policy and influence activities to ensure our voice is heard in shaping future directions in our professions, in research and in industry.

I have been with the Institute for a long time in various roles, starting with the then Institute of Metals, which later became the Institute of Materials. In 2002, the Institute of Materials merged to form the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the organisation’s interests expanded to encompass all materials, minerals, and mining. My role evolved alongside these changes, transitioning from a technical editor of the monthly magazine to focusing on communications.

My academic background is in metallurgy and materials, having completed a PhD in metallurgy at Imperial College. Although I decided that research wasn’t my path, I was keen to stay connected to my subject. Working for the Institute has allowed me to remain immersed in the world of materials and metallurgy throughout my career. I think this is a really important area, especially now as we aim to use materials and resources more efficiently and sustainably

Q. To get to know you a bit better, could you please share something that you really enjoyed about your role, and something about yourself that your colleagues might be surprised to hear?

With a scientific background, I have always enjoyed understanding how things work. I’ve been very fortunate that in my role, I have been able to explore various areas and learn how different systems operate. For example, I’ve delved into website structuring, database architecture and management, and the interaction between them. Even though I wasn’t formally trained in these areas, it was fascinating to grasp how these elements function together.

One surprising fact about me that colleagues might not know is that I used to dance in a Polish folk group for about 30 years. This group brought together dances from all regions of Poland, and we performed at prestigious venues like Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. We also travelled to festivals in France, Poland, and Spain and made several TV appearances. Dancing was a significant part of my life for decades.

Q. What are the biggest challenges you have experienced when bringing people along with you on a change project? And what advice would you give to organisations about to embark on a project?

Within our project to replace our CRM system at IOM3, we were quite fortunate as people were ready for change. Our existing systems had numerous restrictions and limitations, leading to significant frustrations. I believe people had reached a point where they felt change was necessary. Naturally, it was quite a daunting prospect, but everyone understood that it was essential.

However, there was some concern about the amount of input required from people to prepare for the project and then to test it. To help overcome this, we ensured a commitment from senior executives, emphasising that this is crucial and must be prioritised. But the big challenge lay in people questioning how they will manage this alongside their day job. That’s always difficult, as it was essential that people got involved, especially in the testing phase because it’s a crucial part of learning how the system works. I know this can be a particular challenge for smaller organisations but getting extra support to free up people so they can engage is really important. In our case, we did get extra help to support teams who needed to spend time testing.

Q. Are there any upcoming or recent technologies that you think will change or disrupt the sector and how?

AI is currently the focus of many people’s attention, and within IOM3, we have been assessing how AI tools could assist us in various activities. AI has potential, particularly in data analysis and improvement. It can also help people understand troubleshooting processes, whether issues are in a system or online, through training or providing information about system access.

However, it’s a tricky area because some people feel threatened by AI, fearing it will take away their jobs. This is where we need to be cautious. There is a limit to what AI can do; many processes still require human intervention and decision-making. So, there is scope for AI to be used as a tool to aid those decisions. I think it can also be used to make everyday processing tasks easier, freeing up time for more personal interactions with members.

Q. Is there a particular piece of work or activity that your organisation has carried out that you’re particularly proud of?

Given our strong stance on sustainability, it was important for us as an organisation to lead by example. So, a couple of years ago, we initiated a programme to incorporate sustainability into our operations. We refurbished our facilities, installing heat pumps and updating our heating and cooling systems. We have also taken smaller actions including implementing recycling on site, stopped using single-use cups and used more sustainable materials for our printed materials and displays. As a result, we have significantly reduced our carbon footprint, achieving a reduction of just over 92% on our baseline emissions in 2023 compared to 2019. Those actions accumulated to make a substantial impact. We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Memcom Excellence Award in the Sustainability category this year.

If you would like to find out more about the IOM3 digital project, watch our webinar on-demand as Nuna shares insights into how they reduce their data volume by 67% all whilst enhancing its quality!