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+

Business performanceEconomics, government & businessHR transformation

CPD at the heart of £90m first phase transformation of chester zoo

by Personnel Today 9 Apr 2009
by Personnel Today 9 Apr 2009

CPD, one of the North West’s leading business improvement organisations, has played an integral role in helping Chester Zoo develop the first phase of its ambitious plan to make it the largest conservation, animal and leisure attraction in Europe.

Experts from the Liverpool-based company were called in to work with the management team to decide on the approach to the £90million first phase of the Natural Vision project, which will include the only domed ecosystem in the UK.

Called ‘Heart of Africa’, the bio-dome will be an African rainforest-themed sanctuary for a band of Gorillas, a large troop of chimpanzees, Okapi (rare giraffe-like creatures), and a wide variety of tropical birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates.

Led by organisational development specialist Rebekah Ayres, the CPD team facilitated a workshop for key Chester Zoo staff to help shape the best possible visitor experience.

One of the big challenges was to ensure that the project underpinned the importance of animal welfare and the need for that to come first in any development work.

But the organisation also had to look at the opportunity Heart of Africa would provide to bring people into the zoo and educate them on the world’s conservation and biodiversity needs.

“It was important to allow everyone, whether on the commercial side or dealing with animal welfare or conservation, the opportunity to participate fully in the exercise,” said Rebekah. “By us looking after the process they could focus on their ideas and contributions,” she added.

CPD designed a session that encouraged free-thinking, to help zoo staff get away from considering the opportunity in functional ‘silos’, to stimulate discussion and help the management team come up with their outline plan.

Established in 1997, CPD  provides a tailored training and development service which enables organisational improvement through people.

Via its three strands of diagnosis, development and delivery, CPD employs experts in field to advise and assist both public and private companies to meet their growth targets.

Rebekah said, “Over the years we have built a great relationship with the Zoo’s management team and it was good to be involved in their most exciting development project ever. Encouraging people to think freely and creatively as a team rather than as a group of individuals delivered some great results.”

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.

Chester Zoo – which celebrates its 75th anniversary in May – already welcomes 1.3 million visitors a year, more than any other zoo in the UK.

It is expected that number will increase to 1.6 million on completion of the first phase, and 2 million visitors per year on completion of the full project.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
T Mobile outsourcing to Manila leaves up to 500 jobs at risk
next post
UK employers fail to apologise when staff suffer work-related accidents

You may also like

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

Minister defends Employment Rights Bill at Acas conference

16 May 2025

CBI chair Soames accuses ministers of not listening...

16 May 2025

Immigration white paper: 10 key points and reaction

12 May 2025

Downturn in hiring activity eased in April

12 May 2025

UK-US trade deal threatens bioethanol jobs

12 May 2025

Immigration white paper: strict limits on overseas recruitment

12 May 2025

CIPD links Employment Rights Bill with low business...

12 May 2025

Zero-hours workers’ rights to be extended from beyond...

8 May 2025

Government defends NIC relief in UK-India trade deal

7 May 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+