British Airways (BA) has still not appointed a permanent HR director, almost a year after the role became vacant.
Neil Robertson quit the £200,000-a-year post at the end of January 2007 after 30 years with the company. He was part of the senior management team that was forced to back down in October 2006 after a high-profile dispute over check-in worker Nadia Eweida wearing a crucifix outside her uniform.
Robertson denied his departure was down to the crucifix row, but his decision to go left one of the UK’s most challenging HR jobs up for grabs. Yet 10 months on, there is no sign of a permanent replacement. Instead, BA’s head of employee relations, David Lebrecht, has been acting up as director for people since February.
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A BA spokesman said: “The recruitment process is ongoing. We looked at some strong internal candidates but then widened the search externally.”
He added that Lebrecht did not want to apply for the role permanently.
