Vicky McFarlane, HR director of Courtenay, firmly believes that the
profession is now having a more robust impact on a company’s bottom line.
"It is increasingly clear in the market that HR, in a vast majority of
our client businesses, (mainly FTSE 150) makes real, tangible and valued
contributions to the bottom line," she says.
A graduate of Edinburgh University, McFarlane moved to the HR search and
selection specialists in 1996 after working as a research consultant and an HR
manager.
She is responsible for permanent senior level appointments, particularly in
the fmcg and consumer durables markets.
"Since joining Courtenay I have worked as a consultant responsible for
the recruitment of senior HR professionals. After establishing Courtenay’s
interim practice I moved to take a lead role in its search practice. Operating
as a director also means I have a part to play in the management and leadership
of the company," she explains.
McFarlane sees the challenge as keeping on top of all the latest
developments in the sector and remaining an expert on the current market
developments.
"As a company of ex-HR professionals, we all have a commitment to
ensuring that we are always abreast of the current HR trends and are experts in
our clients’ businesses."
She is also looking forward to meeting and working with the key HR figures
in the industry. "There is a lot to be gained from working with
challenging and inspiring leaders in the market. Working as an HR recruiter
involves meeting many of the key senior HR leaders in all industry sectors.
Having access to this information and building relationships with these
individuals is very rewarding."
CV
2001 HR director, Courtenay
2000 Associate director, Courtenay
1996 Research Consultant, Odgers
1994 HR manager, Cash Handling Product Group
On the move
Spencer Drain has joined the Women’s
Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) as the head of training and development. The new
senior position covering England, Scotland and Wales was identified as crucial
in a recent change report.
The role encompasses the entire service, which has 2,000 core
paid staff and 100,000 volunteers. Drain’s main duties are to manage a change
programme and to ensure the strategic position of HRD within the service.
He joins from the Citizens Advice Bureau where he was national
training manager.
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Morrison Utility Services has
appointed Steve Dyson (pictured) as skills development manager. He has 11 years
training experience and joins from McNicholas where he was reinstatement
manager. The firm, which last year won a construction industry award for
training, has also hired Aiden Zeall as HR manager for the Southern region.
Zeall joins the utility company from Railtrack.
James Larson has joined the hotel
company Six Continents as the HR director. Larson is based in London and will
report directly to chief executive Tim Clarke. He has overall HR responsibility
for the group, which has 3,260 hotels across nearly 100 countries. Larson joins
from the Kellogg Corporation where he was global vice-president for HR and
involved in the company’s major reorganisation following its acquisition by
Keebler.
