Our latest round-up of movers and shakers since the start of spring includes significant appointments at toy giant Mattel, beer legend Carlsberg and beauty and haircare colossus Revlon.
Karen Ancira, Mattel
Global toy and family entertainment business Mattel has appointed Karen Ancira as its new executive vice president and chief people officer.
Ancira will report to Ynon Kreiz, chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel. In her new role, she will focus on building progressive workplace cultures, fostering organisational development and effectiveness, and spearheading diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives.
Ancira joins Mattel after 11 years at Yum! Brands. Prior to this she was chief people and culture officer at KFC in the US and previously for KFC in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Latin America and the Caribbean. From 2005 to 2012, Ancira served in HR leadership positions at PepsiCo in Monterrey, Mexico, creating and overseeing HR programmes across Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ancira said: “Mattel’s iconic portfolio is matched only by its passionate and committed global workforce. It is an honour to join this world-class leadership team to lead and enhance Mattel’s thriving culture and develop new people and culture programmes to help everyone succeed in this next exciting chapter for the organisation.”
Kreiz added: “Karen is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of cultivating purpose-driven, values-based human resources organisations and programs for major consumer brands globally. ”
Emma Dolby, Mizuho
Tokyo-based banking giant Mizuho Financial Group, has announced the appointment of Emma Dolby as managing director, chief human resources Officer, EMEA.
With over 20 years’ financial services HR experience, Dolby joins from Rabobank Europe. Having joined them in 2019, she was most recently global HR manager for their wholesale and rural division and chief human resources officer for Europe & Africa region, based in the UK and Netherlands. Prior to this, Dolby spent 13 years at Nomura, holding various HR positions.
Dolby said: “I look forward to maximising the contribution that human resources can make in delivering a comprehensive people strategy, and fostering a culture where people are at the core of our success.”
Nicole Gray, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Goodyear has named Nicole Gray as its new senior vice president and chief human resources officer, effective from 1 July.
She will replace Gary VanderLind, who is retiring from the role.
Gray joined Goodyear in 2016, moving from its leading global labour and the employment team to senior human resources leadership roles. Prior to this, she was a partner at McDonald Hopkins, where she worked with employers to address business and workforce matters such as litigation defence and talent strategy. Her human resources and legal knowledge also includes leading collective bargaining, managing corporate transactions and advising senior executives.
Mark Stewart, chief executive officer and president, said: “In Nicole Gray, we have an exceptionally qualified leader who is ready to take on this critical role. She is the right human resources leader to help deliver on our Goodyear Forward plan as we navigate the increased complexity of our labour landscape, attract and develop talent, and advance our global HR function.”
Alison Littlewood, City of London Corporation
Alison Littlewood has been appointed as the City of London Corporation’s executive director of HR and chief people officer. Since joining the City Corporation in June 2023, she has overseen the development of the City Corporation’s first-ever people strategy. City of London Corporation policy chairman Chris Hayward said: “Alison’s appointment is richly deserved after her outstanding work in helping oversee the launch of our people strategy. This work is central to our journey as an organisation, and we are delighted Alison will continue to guide us on it. We value her experience and expertise at what is a pivotal moment for the City Corporation.
Senior HR appointments
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Littlewood, said: “The City Corporation is an extraordinary and unique organisation. For 900 years, we have served as custodians of the nation’s trading centre, the beating heart of London. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for us to build together a modern and dynamic organisation with a sustainable future. Our people strategy is at the core of this and it will be monitored, reviewed, and refreshed throughout its five-year life cycle.
Before joining the City Corporation, Alison had extensive experience in senior leadership roles in HR, and organisational sevelopment, including both the private and public sector and in local government in the London boroughs of Haringey, Kingston, Lambeth, and Tower Hamlets.
Tchernavia Rocker, Revlon
Beauty brand Revlon Group has appointed Tchernavia Rocker to the role of chief people officer.
Rocker has significant leadership experience in human resources, as well as organisational transformation, diversity, equity and inclusion, corporate strategy, and sustainability.
She most recently held the role of chief people and transformation office at sportswear business Under Armour. Prior to this, Rocker spent more than 18 years in human resources leadership roles at Harley-Davidson, including vice president and chief human resources officer. She has also held various human resources and operations roles at Goodyear Dunlop Tire North America.
Smith said: “Tchernavia brings extensive human capital management and leadership experience to our team at a critical time in our transformation. I am thrilled she is joining Revlon and am confident her expertise will be highly valuable as we continue to drive our next phase of growth.”
Laura Ryan, SoSafe
Security awareness and human risk management vendor SoSafe has appointed Laura Ryan as its new chief people officer.
Ryan will manage human resources, people and talent, workspace and community, and operations for its 500 employees across nine European locations.
Prior to joining SoSafe, she worked for almost nine years at Dropbox as vice president global HR business partnering, and before that, she spent more than five years at Google and seven years in financial services in a number of HR roles.
Ryan said: “Cybercrime is the biggest threat to organisations and SoSafe delivers a human-centric solution based on psychology. This gives the organisation and the team a very strong purpose and I am very excited to contribute to its mission to empower people facing digital threats.”
Dr Niklas Hellemann, chief executive officer of SoSafe, added: “Laura brings a wealth of experience in fast-paced, multi-cultural organisations and has proven her ability to build and lead people divisions in high growth technology employers.”
Susanne Skippari, Carlsberg
Multinational brewer Carlsberg Group has hired Susanne Skippari as chief human resources officer and a member of its executive committee, to join at the beginning of September.
Skippari will join from Kone, a global firm in the elevator and escalator industry that employs 60,000 people and operates in more than 60 countries, where she served as executive vice president, people and communications, and was a member of the executive board. Prior to this, she worked for Nokia in various HR roles in Finland and Argentina.
Skippari said: “Carlsberg’s distinct heritage, strong purpose and ambitious strategy rooted in a growth culture align well with my values, experience, and aspirations. I’m impressed with the remarkable progress the company has made over the past years, which is a testament to the exceptional professionalism, passion, and dedication of the Carlsberg team across the globe. I look forward to becoming part of this amazing team and contributing to Carlsberg’s long-term success.”
Jacob Aarup-Andersen, group chief executive officer at Carlsberg Group, added: “Susanne’s stellar expertise in developing talent, advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and supporting culture-driven business transformation in a fast-changing environment make her a natural fit for this role.”
Shelley Sutton, Browne Jacobson
UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson has appointed Shelley Sutton as the firm’s new people director. The appointment took effect from 1 May. Sutton took over the role from Declan Vaughan, who will be retiring from the firm in July 2024. Declan joined the firm in 2017 and has held the role for six years from May 2018. Sutton joined Browne Jacobson in 2019 as a HR business partner and was promoted to head of business partnering in January 2021.
In her new role, Shelley will be leading the firm’s people and culture strategies, working with the firm’s HR, L&D. and knowledge teams to support the build of Browne Jacobson’s organisational capability and capacity. During Declan’s tenure as people director, Browne Jacobson implemented various initiatives including revolutionising its recruitment processes by removing academic barriers, anonymising applications and focusing its outreach work on social mobility ‘cold spots’.
Shelley Sutton said: “The work which Declan has overseen has created fantastic development opportunities for our people and opened the doors to those for whom a legal career seemed impossible. I’m excited to ensure our people strategy is continually developing, supporting the firm’s performance and growth ambitions for the benefit of all.”
Richard Medd, managing partner at Browne Jacobson, said: “We’re proud of being one of the leading law firms for social mobility, but we’re conscious that there is so much more that needs to be done to create true equity for all. Under Shelley’s leadership, I have no doubt that each member of the firm will continue to play their part in creating an inclusive and equitable workplace in which everyone can thrive.”
Francesco Tutino, Prysmian
Global cabling provider Prysmian has appointed Francesco Tutino group chief HR and organisation officer. He will oversee all of Prysmian’s HR activities for its more than 30,000 employees across 150 countries.
Tutino has more than 20 years’ experience in HR and has held leadership positions at several multinational organisations. Throughout his career, Tutino has held various roles at agricultural machinery employer CNH, and global automotive businesses Denso and Iveco Group, the latter of which he most recently worked at as chief human resources and IT officer.
Tutino said: “I am committed to contributing to the consolidation of a corporate culture that puts people front and centre, promoting inclusion and innovation, recognising merit, and considering training and development as key elements to ensuring work-life balance.”
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