Karen
Morris has joined outsource telebusiness agency Telecom Express as head of HR.
She comes from provider Internet connectivity Globix.com where she was European
HR director. Her main role will be to work with the board to develop and
deliver the strategic and operational HR plans that will support the growing
business.
Victoria
Lowe joins international construction and management consultancy Turner &
Townsend Group as group human resources manager. She has 13 years of experience
in HR. Her move to Leeds comes as a big change from her previous position
carrying out voluntary work in Ghana, West Africa. She spent four months with
Raleigh International helping with development projects in remote parts of the
country. She will be responsible for personnel and training across all T&T
divisions.
Paul
Brennan is leaving his position as project manager at RAF Cosford to freelance
as a trainer in the areas of personal and corporate development. Since April
1998, he has been responsible for bringing distance learning into the RAF’s
core training programme for its engineering technicians. In November 1999, he
formed the Personal Development Squadron at RAF Cosford. During this time he
also delivered around 25 three-day courses to improve interpersonal
relationships among all staff.
Top
Job
At
the end of April, Elsie Akinsanya took over as human resources director of
Market and Opinion Research International. She previously worked for contract
research organisation Quintiles, where she was associate director, human
resources.
Akinsanya
has an MA in human resources management and is a corporate member of the CIPD.
At Mori, her main responsibility will be to direct the full range of HR
activities including recruitment, employee relations, performance management
and employee development. Her primary objective is to ensure that there is an
holistic approach to the employee life cycle.
She
said, "Mori is truly a ‘people business’ – one of its corporate objectives
is to provide a working environment that is satisfying to each member of staff
in terms of job satisfaction, remuneration and recognition."
The
key challenges of the role will involve employee development, performance and
career management. She hopes to create a network of research agency HR professionals
to address specific industry issues.
She
said, "One of the many attractions of the role was that it had a healthy
balance of strategic and operational input."
Personal
Profile
Joan
Munro has been appointed assistant director of the People Skills and
Development section of the Employers Organisation
What
is the most important lesson you have learnt in your career?
To jump in at the deep end, taking on jobs you don’t feel confident about –
it is the best way of learning.
What
is the strangest situation you have dealt with at work?
Managing someone from an Army background. She didn’t respect consultation
and discussion, only me giving orders.
If
your house was on fire and you could save one object, what would it be?
My photographs – most other things could be replaced.
If
you had three wishes to change your organisation, what would they be?
For the Local Government NTO to be more influential. To have more power to
affect change – we can only encourage more investment in staff development, not
demand it. And more resources to tackle the issues on a much larger scale.
What
is the best thing about working in HR?
It’s an exciting time. There are many challenges, but plenty of enthusiasm
for working with us to develop ‘Learning Local Authorities’.
What
is the worst?
The importance of workforce development not being fully appreciated.
You
have stumbled upon a time machine hidden in the vaults of your company
building. What time period would you visit and why?
Fifteen years’ time, to see the impact of our Local Government Workforce
Development Plan.
If
you could adopt the management style of an historical character, who would you
choose?
Simone De Beauvoir. She wasn’t afraid to challenge conventions. She stood
up for equality, and she lived her principles.
How
do you get to work?
By Tube – it’s the worst part of my day. I arrive feeling I’ve done battle.
What
would you do if you had more spare time?
More walking in the mountains.
If
you were to write a book, what would you write about?
A mystery with a good plot, and lots of twists, turns and surprises.
What
is your greatest strength?
Tenacity.
What
is your least appealing characteristic?
Probably the same as my greatest strength – refusing to give up.
What
is the greatest risk you ever took?
Revealing all to you.
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CV
– Joan Munro
2001
Assistant Director (People and Skills Development), Local Government Employers
Organisation and head of Local Government National Training Organisation
1999-2001 Skills and standards manager, Improvement and Development Agency
1990-1999 Training and development manager, London Borough of Islington
1986-1990 Community training co-ordinator, London Borough of Haringey
