Movers & Shakers

NHS Property Services has announced the appointment of people and culture expert Helen McCarthy, who joins the business as Chief People Officer.

Helen’s career in human resources spans more than 20 years, working in global HR roles at PA Consulting, Arcadis and APCO Worldwide, as well as Hays, B&Q and Channel 4. Helen will join the executive team at NHSPS leading on strategy for People and Culture for the organisation, putting people at the heart of the business and building a culture where colleagues can develop and thrive. As part of the organisation’s endeavours to attract, retain and develop talent, Helen brings a robust combination of wide experience, human resources knowledge and insight and proven leadership skills to the business.

(September 2023)

Digital asset protection firm Coincover has appointed Vikki Sly as its Chief People Officer to boost its commitment to building a healthy scaling business.

With a background in designing and implementing successful internal cultures, Vikki will play an integral role in building a business culture that prioritises its people. She will oversee the development of the firm’s internal structure, collaboration processes and learning opportunities and will work closely with the executive team to ensure that employees are empowered to deliver the highest level of service to customers. Vikki has held various several senior leadership roles, such as Vice President of People at Bitrise, where she led its people operations and talent acquisition efforts and CPO at Blue Prism, where she oversaw its global HR strategy. She also spent several years as the Vice President of Talent Development at Qlik, as well as holding roles at Barclaycard and Vodafone.

(September 2023)

Newcastle sales and marketing specialist Durhamlane, has appointed Sinead Hall as its first Chief People Officer.

Sinead joins Durhamlane’s senior leadership team in a strategic hire that marks the next phase of investment for the North Tynesidebased company as it targets 30 percent growth this year.With over 15 years’ experience in HR, Sinead brings a wealth of talent management knowledge and experience to Durhamlane. She joins from digital marketing agency Evolved Search, where she was Head of People for over three years, helping to secure the prestigious GPTW Best Workplace for Women UK award for the firm in 2022. Prior to this she was senior people advisor at clothing brand END for a number of years. Sinead’s appointment reinforces Durhamlane’s focus on its people-centric approach and continued investment in its 100-plus strong team.

(September 2023)

Gail Cockburn has joined water retail company Business Stream, having spent close to 20 years with whisky distributor, Edrington UK, where she was HR Director.

Gail has been appointed to develop and deliver the company’s new people strategy as well as oversee the company’s dedicated people and development function. She brings a lot of experience from my previous positions to help guide and shape Business Stream’s progressive approach to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for its people. The company has an ambitious growth strategy, guided by its ambitious vision to make a positive difference to its customers, people, the environment and local communities. Since launching that vision in 2019, Business Stream has introduced more than 30 initiatives.

(September 2023)

Ink Innovation, a technology provider for the travel industry, has appointed Judith Whittaker as Chief People Officer.

Judith will be responsible for leading the human resources team, ensuring that the organisation attracts, develops and retains the best talent in the industry and will work closely with the leadership team to support its strategic goals and create a culture of excellence and inclusion. Judith has more than 18 years of global human resources experience in both specialist and generalist roles in UK public and private sector organisations. She has built strong relationships with key stakeholders and developed and executed HR strategies that align with business goals. She has worked for organisations including Rolls-Royce, National Air Traffic Services, Hertfordshire County Council and Tui, at which she spent six years.

(August 2023)

Manchester-based Kellogg’s has appointed Melanie Bowes as HR Director for the UK and Ireland, to oversee its people strategy across the UK and Ireland.

Having relocated from Melbourne, Australia for the role, Melanie will oversee a team of employees responsible for the execution of people plans for the British and Irish markets and the broader staff base at Kellogg’s head office. She will be responsible for leading the people strategy for Kellogg’s largest market in Europe, while also having HR responsibility for its European tech function. Previous to Kellogg’s, Melanie was Group Head of Human Resources for Japanese brewer Asahi Beverages.

(August 2023)

Avon and Somerset Police has announced Louise Hutchison as its new Chief Officer of People.

Louise has been acting in the role since February and has now been confirmed permanently following a comprehensive search over the last three months and a testing selection process. She first joined the organisation in 2011 as a Senior Business Partner, before taking up roles as Head of Organisational Development and more recently as Director of People and Organisational Development. Under her leadership as Director, her team ensured the organisation surpassed its Police Uplift Programme target, recruiting and training hundreds of new officers, while the organisation has also become more diverse.

(August 2023)

The CBI has appointed Elizabeth Wallace as Interim Chief People Officer. This is the latest in a series of decisive steps to rebuild trust in the CBI’s culture.

This announcement followed the appointment of business ethics consultancy Principia Advisory. Elizabeth will sit on the CBI’s Committee and will report directly to the Board on matters of workplace conduct and culture. In her role, Elizabeth will start to implement the 35 recommendations by Fox Williams following their independent investigation into allegations of misconduct. This includes integrating the post of CPO into the CBI’s culture – consolidating corporate values and employee experiences as a matter of strategic importance. Previously, Elizabeth has held several leadership roles, including Hg and Director of Executive Search at BlackRock.

(August 2023)

Made Tech, the public sector technology delivery expert, has announced the appointment of Wayne Searle as Chief People Officer.

This new position will support Made Tech’s culture and commitment to its people and will span learning and development, people operations, talent and internal communications. Wayne will also be involved in the expansion of Made Tech across the UK and internationally.

Before Made Tech, Wayne led a human resources team across EMEA and globally for Mergers and Acquisitions at Vertiv. This involved leading a multifunctional team in 32 countries with a focus on commercial and engineering capability.

Wayne’s successful career spans multiple industries including telecoms, technology, automotive and ecommerce. He is an experienced international leader with a passion for people, culture, communications and developing teams and organisations.

Wayne Searle, Chief People Officer at Made Tech said: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked in many sectors, countries and cultures throughout my career and I have learnt from and thoroughly enjoyed the different challenges and opportunities that each has presented.

“As someone who thrives in seeing the difference people can make to an organisation and society, I can see this connection is not just a core value at Made Tech, but paramount to its success. I’m excited to know that the people agenda here can truly make a difference and I’m hugely excited by the growth opportunity for the business and the people at Made Tech.”

Rory MacDonald, CEO at Made Tech said: “Wayne and the creation of this new role in the Executive Team demonstrates the importance and commitment to our people and culture at Made Tech.

“As we scale the business, we know our people are critical and we need to continue to create an environment where they can grow, learn and develop to deliver success for our clients. Wayne’s strong commerciality, people-centricity and global experience is the perfect fit to help us thrive.”

(July 2023)

ONE of the UK’s biggest water retailers has appointed a highly experienced People Director as part of a triple appointment to further strengthen its executive leadership team.

Gail Cockburn has joined Business Stream having spent close to 20 years with the country’s leading whisky distributor, Edrington UK – where she held the post of Human Resources Director.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of People Development, Gail has been appointed to develop and deliver the company’s new People strategy as well as oversee the company’s dedicated people and development function.

Commenting on the appointment Gail said: “I’m passionate about the company’s vision to make a positive difference and hope to bring a lot of experience from my previous positions to help guide and shape Business Stream’s already progressive approach to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for its people”.

(July 2023)