The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has appointed Elizabeth Wallace as its interim chief people officer – a new role created in the wake of misconduct claims made against senior staff.
Wallace, who was formerly head of portfolio talent at private equity firm Hg and head of the EMEA executive search team at American investment company BlackRock, has been brought in to overhaul the CBI’s organisational culture, and to implement the 35 recommendations put forward by law firm Fox Williams, which conducted an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The business lobby group has faced a raft of allegations from staff, including sexual misconduct and rape.
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New CBI director general Rain Newton-Smith said: “I am so pleased to welcome Elizabeth on board as chief people officer. Her role will be integral in reforming our people strategy – defining our shared values as we collectively recover from the challenges of recent weeks.
“With over two decades’ worth of experience, I’m confident that her guidance will accelerate our efforts to effect meaningful change across the CBI.”
Wallace said: “I am delighted to have the trust of the director general Rain Newton-Smith and the board to lead the way on cultural transformation here at the CBI. Making sure the newly created chief people officer role becomes a permanent part of the CBI’s DNA will be front of mind, as I work with people across the organisation to strengthen our employee experience offering.”
The recommendations Wallace has been tasked with implementing include ensuring all staff and board members receive compulsory and continuous training covering bullying and harassment prevention, employee relations best-practice, mental health awareness and employment law.
Former director general Tony Danker was dismissed last month after his behaviour was found to have fallen short of expectations.
According to Wallace’s LinkedIn profile, her career has focused mainly on executive search. She worked for Kinsey Allen as a senior consultant hiring leaders in asset management from 2008, before co-founding AMC Executive Search, a “specialist retained executive search boutique” in 2011.
Wallace holds an MSc in Organisational Psychology from Birbeck, University of London.
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