Our round-up of movers and shakers since the turn of the new year includes significant appointments at snack foods giant Mondelēz International, Lloyds Banking Group and global advertising firm Mother.
Jonathan Firth, LHH UK and Ireland
Talent development and career solutions company LHH UK and Ireland announced at the end of January the appointment of Jonathan Firth as vice president and country head of its recruitment solutions division.
With more than 30 years of professional recruitment experience from market leading brands, Firth will be responsible for driving the growth of LHH’s recruitment business and extending its customer base across the UK and Ireland.
Firth said: “Whether it’s upskilling or redeploying talent, developing a future leadership pipeline, or hiring the very best an industry has to offer, LHH provides the full spectrum of services that companies, and their people, need to succeed. I look forward to growing our reach and reputation through the positive impact we have on our customers and their workplaces.”
Senior HR appointments
Rina Pandya arrives at NHS Property Services
Civil Aviation Authority appoints new people director
Roopa Abraham Kochhar, Aptia
Health and benefits administrator Aptia has appointed a chief people officer to its growing team. Roopa Abraham Kochhar joins Aptia following seven years in various HR leadership roles with the Allianz Group in Munich. With over 20 years’ experience in HR, she will be responsible for building Aptia’s people team and its capabilities globally across the UK, US, India and Portugal.
Aptia officially launched January 1, 2024, following a deal funded by global private equity house Bain Capital. Acquiring Mercer’s UK pensions and US health and benefits administration businesses, Aptia is managing pensions and benefits for more than seven million people across 1,100 clients.
Bala Viswanathan, Aptia Founder and CEO, said: “Roopa is a fantastic hire for Aptia, an appointment that will be instrumental in the growth of the business globally.”
Stephanie Lilak, Mondelēz International
US multinational food giant Mondelēz International has appointed Stephanie Lilak executive vice president and chief people officer.
Lilak will report to Dirk Van de Put, chairman and chief executive officer, and will be responsible for overseeing the Chicago-based firm’s HR function worldwide. She replaces Paulette Alviti, who is set to retire in April.
Joining from Bumble, Lilak has chief HR officer experience across multiple industries. She was for 23 years in roles at General Mills, and led talent, organisation and cultural initiatives at Dunkin Brands.
Lilak said: “The opportunity to lead people and culture development for such a dynamic global business with a portfolio of iconic snacking brands is very exciting.”
Laura Marotta, Imagination
Global experience design firm Imagination has appointed Laura Marotta UK people and culture partner.
Marotta will assume the overarching responsibility for people, including heading up the talent acquisition function in the UK. Reporting to chief people officer Philomena Gray and collaborating with UK managing director Richard Hannah, she will work closely with the senior leadership team.
Marotta, who was previously head of people and culture at Location Collective, will play a role in representing the interests of Imagination’s UK team and working on UK attraction, retention, development and growth. She will provide expertise to support the management team during the initial rollout of its GrowForward programme, and will help establish clear communication channels and talent development plans to make people management a seamless process.
She said: “My passion for working in creative industries has been a driving force throughout my career, which is why I’ve chosen to join Imagination, a company that embodies creativity and innovation.”
Preet Michelson, TMS
Global technology, marketing and sourcing firm TMS has appointed Preet Michelson as its new chief people officer.
Michelson will join TMS’ global leadership team and report directly to president Mark Landolt. In her new role, she will lead TMS’ global people strategy and oversee its global talent acquisition, development, and retention programmes, focusing on employee engagement.
Michelson has previously held senior HR roles at United Airlines, Molson Coors and PepsiCo. Prior to joining TMS, she worked as vice president of human resources at CVS Health, where she was responsible for improving employee engagement and experience, and launching talent management and leadership development systems.
Michelson said she and the team would “empower our workforce, cultivating an environment where every individual can thrive, grow, and contribute their best to the success of our organisation.”
Alex Morris-Platt, Mother
Advertising agency Mother – which has offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Berlin – has named Alex Morris-Platt as its first chief people officer. In the newly created role, Morris-Platt will lead the people and talent teams with the overall aim to attract, grow and retain top creative talent.
She joins from London-based advertising agency TBWA UK, where she held the position of group people director for seven years and was responsible for its people functions.
Katie Mackay-Sinclair, partner at Mother London, said: “With Alex joining, we’re making significant strides to become the best place to work. We have huge ambitions for our people, her leadership will enable us to deliver even more ways for them to flourish.”
Andrew Mulder, Nudge
Nudge, a financial education provider, has announced the appointment of Andrew Mulder as its people director, a newly created role at the firm.
Over the past two decades Mulder has worked in a series of HR roles within the tech, legal and third sectors, and most recently as head of people at digital marketing firm MVF. Nudge’s CEO and co-founder, Tim Perkins, said: “Andrew’s extensive experience in people development, culture and employee wellbeing makes him the perfect fit for the role of people director at Nudge.”
Mulder added: “I’m passionate about creating world class workplaces that deliver outstanding service to our clients while enabling growth for both our people and our business. Together, we will continue to empower individuals to take control of their finances and achieve their goals.”
Rachel Osikoya, Lloyds Banking Group
Rachel Osikoya joined Lloyds Banking Group as director of diversity, equity and inclusion in January.
Osikoya will be responsible for driving the group’s strategic DE&I agenda and will build a plan to further embed DE&I for the benefit of colleagues, customers and communities. She will report to the chief people and places officer and work closely with the executive team.
Previous roles held by Osikoya include leading a global team to deliver a transformative DE&I strategy to 25,000 colleagues in 70 countries at the London Stock Exchange. Prior to this she was the global head of diversity and inclusion for Maersk. She also held roles at Standard Bank, Barclays Capital, and BT.
Sharon Doherty, chief people and places officer said Osikoya would be “integral to bringing to life our DE&I ambitions as we strive to create a fully inclusive environment for our colleagues and communities across the UK”.
Natalie Rogers, N Brown Group
Fashion and homeware digital retailer N Brown Group has appointed Natalie Rogers as its new chief people officer.
Rogers will join the N Brown executive board and report directly to chief executive officer Steve Johnson. She will lead the people function and team, with a focus on fully embedding the group’s agile operating model as it continues an enterprise-wide transformation.
She has more than 25 years of extensive cross-sector experience, including digital, tech and financial services, in HR disciplines covering organisational culture, employee relations, leadership development, reward and organisational design.
Sharon Sherriff, Buckles
National law firm Buckles has appointed Sharon Sherriff as HR director. She previously held similar roles at venture capital backed start-ups and across the Royal Mail Group.
As a member of the senior management team, Sherriff is tasked with building a strong and coherent people strategy to support the organisation’s growth ambitions.
Sherriff said: “It is critical businesses recognise the need to transform the HR function from one solely focused on people processes, to being a central pillar of their growth strategy – Buckles has recognised this and also the importance of the employee value proposition in our recruitment efforts.”
Kath Stephenson, Police Digital Service
Police Digital Service, responsible for enabling UK policing to safely harness technology to improve public safety, has appointed Kath Stephenson director of people services.
Formerly head of people and culture at HF Holidays, Stephenson joined the service in September 2022 as head of HR, and played a role in developing the culture for a remote-based workforce.
Stephenson said: “There is a genuine desire within Police Digital Service to empower its people through its five core values. We value people; we do the right thing; we are innovative, we are passionate and proud and, most importantly, we are one team. We have made great progress, but our focus is on making us an even greater place to work.”
During the past year, Police Digital Service has implemented a mental health first aider scheme and enhanced parental leave. It has also introduced a diversity, equity and inclusion network to ensure it is meeting the needs of all its employees and actively working to create an inclusive culture that values diversity.
Genevieve Vancutsem-Zednik, GetYourGuide
GetYourGuide, an online marketplace to book and sell travel experiences, has appointed Genevieve Vancutsem-Zednik as its new chief people officer.
As of March, Vancutsem-Zednik will be responsible for setting the HR and people strategy for GetYourGuide’s 800 employees across its 17 offices around the world as it expands its presence in the Americas. She will lead key strategic initiatives and balance operational needs, while developing talent management and culture.
Vancutsem-Zednik most recently served as the chief people officer for Europe and Asia at global ecommerce provider Wayfair. Prior to this, Vancutsem-Zednik spent nearly a decade at Deloitte as a human capital and HR transformation consultant.
Lenke Taylor, Personio
Personio, one of Europe’s leading HR software companies for small and mid-sized organisations, has appointed Lenke Taylor as chief people officer. She will lead Personio’s people strategy as the company enters its next phase of growth as well as support its product teams in building market leading solutions for HR leaders.
Hanno Renner, co-founder and CEO of Personio, said: “As an HR-innovation focused company, we know the critical and strategic role that people leaders play in shaping employee experience and unlocking organisational success. That’s why hiring the right chief people officer is fundamental to our future goals. Lenke will not only help build a best-in-class HR function but also help shape our company strategy and drive business growth across Europe.”
Lenke’s previous roles include senior leadership positions at Google and chief people officer roles at BuzzFeed and Twitch. Currently based in the US, Lenke will be relocating to Europe during the summer along with her family.
Terence Vieyra, RAPP UK
Customer engagement agency RAPP UK has appointed Terence Vieyra as its new senior vice president of people.
Based in London, Vieyra will head up a people team of 10 and be responsible for championing RAPP’s purpose of standing up for individuality. His main focus will be on RAPP’s UK people function, overseeing strategy development and execution to attract and keep top talent. Vieyra will also be responsible for the Europe, Middle East and Africa offices to ensure a unified and positive approach to people management across the region.
Vieyra previously led HR and facilities teams in Los Angeles, New York, and London for Kobalt Music Group. While there, he played a role in building the group’s people infrastructure to support its hyper-growth period and was also part of the leadership team that managed Kobalt’s sale to Sony, where he led on the complex employee changes.
Vieyra said: “RAPP is an exciting industry powerhouse, and I was drawn to their agency ethos of advocating for individuality.”
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