The
Employers Organisation has appointed Joan Munro as assistant director and Mick
James as deputy head of the people skills and development section.Munro has
more than 20 years of experience in local government. She joined the NTO 18
months ago, before which she worked for health authorities and Islington and
Haringey councils. James has 20 years’ experience working for national
organisations helping local authorities with staff development. Before joining
the NTO he was with the Local Government Management Board and the Local
Government Training Board.
Kodak
has appointed Katie Mather to the position of HR director and vice-president of
Europe, Africa and the Middle East region. Previously she was director of employee
relations for the UK. She will be based in Kodak’s European HQ in Geneva where
her responsibilities will include the management of HR, pensions, benefits and
health, and safety and environment.
The
Carphone Warehouse has promoted Andrew Sherwood to HR director. He started with
the company in June 1994 in the direct sales department and has gradually
worked his way up through the company, being appointed head of HR in July 2000.
Ian
Wells has joined international consultancy PAConsulting Group as a member of
its management group in its people and organisational change practice.
Top
job
Recently Charlotte Mitchell has been appointed to the new role of personnel
manager of Bath Travel. Bath Travel is a family-owned company founded in 1924. Â
Mitchell
will be responsible for the management of the company’s personnel department.
Prior to her new role she gained some six years of generalist experience in a
large life assurance company and an engineering company in Dorset and holds her
postgraduate diploma in personnel and development. Â
She
said, "Bath Travel employs 600 employees throughout the south. The
personnel function is viewed as an integral part of the business contributing
to its success by ensuring that employees are informed, motivated and skilled
within their role. An important initial task is to consolidate the personnel
function to ensure that a consistent approach and common standards are
maintained across the company."
Personal profile
Stephen
Griffin has been appointed executive director of human resources at West
Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust. For the past three years he
has been director of employment relations for the Royal College of Nursing.
What
is the most important lesson you have learnt in your career?
Never to undervalue your skills, experience and sense of self-worth.
What
is the strangest situation you have had to deal with at work?
A manager who feigned a mobility illness to try to get the best early
retirement option on ill-health grounds. At work he used a stick and limped but
outside work there were several sightings of him leading a full and active life
with no sign of his "illness". He clearly thought everyone else was
stupid.
If
your house was on fire and you could save one object, what would it be?
My music collection, which has taken most of my adult life to put together
and contains many favourites that I love to listen to.
If
you had three wishes to change your company, what would they be?
Wherever I work, the organisation has to be innovative, it has to value the
development of its people highly and it has to support a reasonable amount of
fun and humour.
What
is the best thing about working in HR?
There are few greater pleasures than seeing people gain in confidence,
skills and knowledge and start to become real leaders. HRM does make a
difference.
What
is the worst?
Gross misconduct cases can be a bit grim when you get exposed to some
pretty awful human behaviour and attitudes.
You
have stumbled upon a time machine hidden in the vaults of your company
building. What time period would you
visit and why?
I’d like to go forward about 10 years to see what has worked and what has
failed, particularly IT and its applications in HRM.
What
would you do if you had more spare time?
Explore the US national parks.
What
is your greatest strength?
Being able to combine a strong work ethic with a sense of humour that is
always just under the surface.
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CV:
Stephen Griffin
June
1998 to date:Â Director of employment
relations for the Royal College of Nursing
Oct 1997:Â Director of personnel at
United Leeds Teaching Hospitals
1991-1998:Â Director of personnel and
development at St James’s and Seacroft University Hospitals NHS Trust
1989-91:Â Director of personnel and
development at Leeds Eastern Health Authority
