Neil Jones is the first civilian to be appointed as director of human
resources for Dyfed Powys Police. He was previously head of HR and development
at the Welsh Development Agency, where he introduced the WDA’s first ever HR
strategy and led the development of the Pathways to Learning programme.
Jones is responsible for the full range of HR activity as well as high-level
strategic input: "My remit will include overall responsibility for the
full range of personnel and development services," he says. "I will
also be responsible for the overall strategic direction of the HR
function."
He will oversee recruitment, training and career development, occupational
health and health and safety. Jones will also sit on the management board.
"I’m looking forward to becoming a member of the board and being fully
involved in the overall development of the force’s strategy," he says.
"It is vitally important that HR policies and practices are directly aligned
with the business needs of the force."
Jones is also looking forward to securing an integrated approach to the
appointment, development, reward and motivation of police and civilian staff
and working with the existing team at police headquarters.
Married with one daughter, he is in the process of moving to West Wales,
where he can further indulge his hobbies of walking, going to the theatre and
dining out with friends.
CV
2002 Director of HR, Dyfed Powys Police
2000 Head of HR and development, Welsh Development Agency
1993 Assistant head of HR, University of Glamorgan
1990 Personnel manager, Mid Glamorgan County Council
… on the move
Property care group Delta Doric has appointed Veronica Workman as safety and
resources manager. Her remit includes HR, with responsibility for employee
development and ensuring the firm has all the necessary skills throughout the
work-force. Workman will also oversee training and the quality management
process, as well as administering health and safety policies.
Paul Reynolds has taken over as HR director for bar, restaurant and
nightclub operator Urbium. The company recently demerged from Chorion and is now
independent. This is a newly created position for Urbium, which runs the Tiger
Tiger chain, and underpins its plans for expansion through acquisition in both
Europe and the UK. Reynolds is responsible for creating HR procedures and
polices.
Jon Sparkes is the new head of HR at Cambridgeshire County Council. He joins
from The Genetics Group, but was previously an HR manager at Plessey
Telecommunications. He now has overall responsibility for the management and
development of the council’s HR policies. Sparkes has a BSc in management
sciences and is co-author of the book Leading HR.
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Lindsay Blackman, head of personnel and management development at McNicholas
Construction, has joined the board. She is responsible for developing policies
and co-ordinating all HR activity at the group. She became head of personnel in
1996 and established the department, helping the workforce grow from 600 to
3,000 in five years. She previously worked for Sock Shop and Hobbs
Belinda Earl, chief executive of Debenhams, has been appointed head of the
newly formed Skillsmart Sector Skills Council. The organisation aims to raise
the skills and productivity of retail sector staff and is one of five
trailblazer SSCs established by the Government. Although an owned subsidiary of
the British Retail Consortium, Skillsmart will represent the whole retail
sector, including non-BRC members. Earl joined Debenhams from Harrods in 1985
and joined the board in 1999.
