David Fairhurst, chief people officer of McDonald’s Europe and a former Personnel Today HR Director of the Year, has been appointed to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills by business secretary Vince Cable and work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith.
Fairhurst said that he is delighted and honoured to have been appointed to the role: “Half of our 85,000-strong workforce in the UK is under 21, and every year we give thousands of young people their first taste of work. It’s a picture mirrored across Europe.
“Our people tell us they want to continue learning while they work. That is why in many European countries we have developed a suite of nationally recognised qualifications to allow them to progress. I look forward to sharing our learnings on the revolving door between work and education, and on how businesses can provide valuable employment opportunities in our communities.”
Fairhurst joins eight other new commissioners appointed today:
- Lucy Adams, director of business operations, BBC;
- Professor John Coyne, vice-chancellor, University of Derby;
- John Cridland, director-general of the CBI;
- Dr Deirdre Hughes, lead consultant, European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network;
- Tony Lau-Walker, chief executive, Eastleigh College;
- Trevor Matthews, chief executive, Aviva UK;
- Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint; and
- Sean Taggart, owner and chief executive of The Albatross Group.
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Cable said: “The diverse backgrounds and viewpoints represented by the nine new commissioners will strengthen the commission’s capacity to deliver skills for growth across all sectors, helping boost national productivity and competitiveness.”
They join an existing team of 16 commissioners, led by Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership.
