B&Q’s HR director has vowed to make employee engagement and qualifications top of the people agenda now she sits on the DIY retailer’s board.
Liz Bell was this month promoted to the board of the home retailer to represent HR, replacing Martyn Phillips, retail operations director. She has been responsible for the HR function at the firm for the past nine months.
Speaking to Personnel Today, Bell reiterated the importance of HR presence at board level and said it helped ensure the people agenda was aligned with the business agenda.
“The difference [at board level] is that you are in the decision-making process, sitting at the table when the business decisions are made,” she said.
Bell said HR was represented on the B&Q board previously, through Phillips, but the new role would give her the opportunity to focus on training and retention.
“Part of what we are doing is investment in our people in terms of external qualifications – NVQ Level 2 and City and Guilds.
“We want customers to feel our people are friendly experts. The qualifications programme, which started at the beginning of the year, is going to help create that.”
