Our latest round-up of movers and shakers since the start of spring includes significant appointments at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
Crystal Akass, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
A new chief people officer has been appointed at one of London’s NHS Trusts. Crystal Akass is currently chief people officer at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, a post she has held since 2021. Before joining the NHS, Akass spent 18 years in the UK Civil Service, joining the Home Office from university and progressing through HR and organisational development roles both there and in the Ministry of Justice. She went on to hold senior roles at the Cabinet Office as HR director, and director of people at the Department for Work and Pensions. She will join Guy’s and St Thomas’ on 5 August. She will succeed current chief people officer Julie Screaton, who is leaving the Trust after seven years. Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ said Akass’s “skills and experience, both in the NHS and wider public services, will be vital as we continue to develop and support our diverse and talented staff. With one of the largest and most diverse workforces in the NHS, we are all too aware of the staffing challenges facing the NHS at the moment. But this also provides us with an opportunity to make a real difference in how we attract, retain and develop the best people so that we can provide the best possible care to patients.” He paid tribute to Screaton’s “extraordinary leadership during her time at the Trust.”
Senior HR appointments
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Rachel Osikoya joins Lloyds Banking Group
Sally Sourbron, DeepL
German company DeepL, a developer of a translation service, has appointed Sally Sourbron chief people officer. Sourbron’s most recent role was as chief people officer at TravelPerk. She has held the position of UK HR director at Salesforce, EMEA HR director at VMware and a senior HR role at Sky. Sally began her career at Cisco, before spending much of the early part of her career at GE Capital and GE Oil & Gas, where she finished as organisation and talent development director. DeepL has plans to boost its presence in the UK and Sourbron will be based in London.
Richard Berke, Quilvest Capital Partners
Dedicated global mid- and lower mid-market alternatives investment manager Quilvest Capital Partners has announced the appointment of Richard Berke as its global head of HR. Based in London, Berke will steer all facets of HR strategy and operations to not only support Quilvest’s growth but also to facilitate the development of its portfolio companies. Berke was previously principal, global human resources, at Pantheon Ventures, a private markets investment firm. Before that, he served as head of resourcing at Insight Investment, a leading global asset manager. Alexis Meffre, executive chairman at Quilvest, said: “Richard’s appointment signifies not just an addition to our leadership but a pivotal step towards enriching our organisational culture, enhancing our capabilities to attract and nurture top-tier talent, and driving innovation across all levels.”
Sejal Patel Daswani, Deputy
Deputy, a global people platform for hourly work, has announced the appointment of Sejal Patel Daswani as its new chief people officer. Her arrival means that women now make up 80% of the company’s C-suite. Her role will focus on advancing Deputy’s global people strategy, enhancing the employee experience, and supporting the company’s international expansion. Patel Daswani’s previous employers include Visa, where she led the HR strategy and execution for the expansion of the innovation and digital mobile products teams to onboard over 1,500 ttechnologists, engineers, developers, and designers. She said: “Having led and scaled frontline workforces, I understand the profound impact that technology has in enhancing the lives and experiences of shift and hourly workers. I am excited to drive Deputy’s global growth objectives by fostering an environment where innovation and employee experience are strong priorities and we continue to lead as an employer of choice.”
Fabiola Williams, Brunswick Group
Critical issues advisory firm Brunswick Group has appointed Fabiola Williams as its new partner and group head of talent and HR, effective 10 May. In her new role, Williams will work closely with Meaghan Ramsey, chief people officer, and the firm’s global people team to advance the firm’s people-related priorities. She joins from McArthurGlen Group, where she has been chief people officer since 2019. Responsible for HR and corporate head office facilities, she helped to rebuild the HR function and reorganise and transform the business over the past four years. Before that, she was people and culture director at White Stuff, HR director at the Department for Work and Pensions and senior vice president of global talent at Coty. She has also held a number of senior roles, including global HR director at The Body Shop International, international change management director at L’Oréal and HR director at L’Oréal UK and Ireland. Williams said: “I am delighted to be joining Brunswick to partner with the talented teams across the world on developing the HR function to support the expertise and capabilities of the firm. We live in an exciting and challenging world where people are more important than ever in navigating complexity with conscientious care and attention.”
Grace Walton, Lodders
Law firm Lodders has hired Grace Walton as people and culture director. She will lead and coordinate the delivery of the firm’s strategic and operational HR function, people initiatives and talent management activities, as well as growing the HR team. Walter has dedicated HR experience as well as legal sector expertise, having worked in-house at law firms since 2017. Walton was previously head of HR at law firm Wiggin and has also worked in various HR roles across a number of professional services businesses, including Browne Jacobson, Parexel and Capital One. Walton said: “HR has always felt like a natural fit for me, it is a privilege to be able to problem-solve and help people be the very best they can be. As people and culture director at Lodders, I will nurture a strong culture and ensure this is consistent across all our offices, providing an environment where our people can develop and thrive.”
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