Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

HR practiceMovers and shakersThe HR profession

Claire Wilkinson, HR director, Imprint

by Georgina Fuller 20 Mar 2007
by Georgina Fuller 20 Mar 2007

Where were you working before and what were your duties?


I was HR director at finance firm CLS Group. I established and managed delivery of the global HR and payroll functions. As part of the executive team, I was also involved in developing strategy and helping to shape the group’s culture.


What qualifications do you hold?


A BA Hons in sociology, and I am a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.


What will be the duties in your new role?


At Imprint, I manage a team responsible for delivering HR and training to a community of nearly 500 employees, 20% of whom are overseas. My responsibilities include developing a compliant and commercially appropriate HR strategy for the business and ensuring that we continue to build on the high-performance philosophy. I report to the chief finance officer.


What are the main challenges HR faces in the next five years?


Keeping up with aggressive international growth plans and still ensuring that we are able to maintain consistency and are culturally diverse.


What is the essential tool in your job?


Being able to think on my feet and cope with ambiguity.


And the most overrated?


Any form of electronic communication. Time constraints tend to make e-mail the preferred option when a face-to-face meeting would often be more appropriate and productive.


What is the worst thing about HR?


All the queries and projects that don’t have an obvious home tend to end up there, diverting effort from more important issues.


What is the strangest situation you have been in at work?


Being asked by a temp if he could advertise his sideline photography business on the intranet, and finding when I checked his website that it was not for family portraits.


Who is your ultimate hero?


Anyone with a gift or talent that they exploit for the benefit of others.


What is the most annoying piece of management jargon?


“We’ll see if it has legs”.


How do you fill your spare time?


Enjoying life at home outside London, long country walks, travel.


What three words would you use to describe yourself?


Tenacious, caring, focused.


What song gets you on the dance floor?


All Right Now by Free.


What is your worst habit?


Impatience with the fallibilities of others.


What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?


Joining CLS – at the time, CLS’s service was running behind schedule, over-budget and floundering.


What three items would you take with you to a desert island?


A library, a wine cellar and my partner.


Who would play you in the film of your life and why?


Me. A teacher once told my mother that I should pursue a career on the stage.


Sum up your philosophy on life in one sentence.


Make the most of it, and don’t dwell on what might have been.


Wilkinson’s CV




  • Jan 2007-present HR director, Imprint (recruitment firm)


  • May 1999-December 2006 HR director, CLS Group (finance firm)


  • April 1991- March 1999 HR manager, Macfarlanes Solicitors


  • May 1986- March 1991 Personnel manager, Arbuthnot Latham Bank

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Tell us about your top job…


Have you just landed a fantastic new job? E-mail [email protected] with all the details.




Georgina Fuller

previous post
High Court ruling forces government to change sex discrimination and harassment law
next post
Experts deny High Court’s ruling on sex discrimination and harassment will lead to claims rush

You may also like

Why HR burnout is a strategic issue

12 May 2025

CIPD appoints expert in AI to boost support...

8 May 2025

Stress for HR specialists greater at larger organisations

2 May 2025

CIPD: Employment Rights Bill timetable needs clarity

25 Apr 2025

Movers and shakers in HR: Stagecoach, Sodexo UK,...

11 Apr 2025

Senior HR pay rising faster than junior roles

28 Mar 2025

Employee Benefits Awards 2025 shortlist revealed

24 Mar 2025

What do HR specialists enjoy most about their...

21 Mar 2025

Law firm HR professional embroiled in ‘anti-Islam’ row

12 Mar 2025

Mitie appoints Kathryn Dolan as chief people officer

6 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+