Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

People News

Top job: Abigail Thomas, HR director, Hay Group

by Personnel Today 25 May 2004
by Personnel Today 25 May 2004


Abigail Thomas has been appointed HR director at Hay Group, the global management consultancy. She joins after 10 years at Accenture, during which time she held a number of recruitment, project and specialist HR roles.

What will be your duties in the new role?

To develop and implement the HR strategy for the group, incorporating recruitment and retention, talent management, total reward, internal branding and development programmes for the senior team.

What qualifications do you have?

I have a degree in psychology, and a postgraduate diploma in HRM.

What do you hope to achieve in your new role?

The organisation has recently re-branded, and HR has a key role to play in the development of the new brand and culture.

Which aspects are you most looking forward to?

Hay Group is planning significant growth over the next two years, and I am excited to have been appointed as part of the executive team responsible for delivering that growth.

What is the strangest situation you have been in at work?

Running a global videoconference where we could hear all the parties as clear as a bell, but we were looking at empty rooms on the screen. You can’t always rely on technology!

How will HR change over the next five years?

We will experience a move towards more employee-focused legislation requiring much deeper understanding of our legal parameters as employers. Age discrimination legislation will also present interesting challenges in managing an ageing workforce.

What advice would you give to people starting out in HR?

Take the time to learn the basics of all areas of HR – a thorough grounding is essential.

What is the essential tool in your job?

My PC and a sense of humour.

How do you fill your spare time?

Relaxing with friends and family, playing golf, cycling, and keeping fit.

What is your essential viewing?

Friends, or House Doctor to really switch off!

What’s the best thing about HR?

The fact that no two days are the same.

And the worst?

The fact no two days are the same.

What would be your ideal job?

I’d like to work for MI5 – I have an inquisitive nature!

What’s the best office party you’ve ever attended?

Drinks and dinner in the Capitol building in Washington DC, followed by a floodlit city tour.

Thomas’s CV

2004    HR director, Hay Group

2000    Human performance manager, Accenture

1998    HR consultant, Global Programmes, Accenture

1996    HR officer, Accenture

1994    Recruitment officer, Accenture

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
UK lags behind in manager development
next post
How to keep scientists keen

You may also like

Prince Philip: an HR reformer of his time?

9 Apr 2021

Grant Eldred joins Clifford Chance as chief people...

25 Feb 2021

2021 nominations open for CIPD’s highest accolade

8 Jan 2021

Movers and shakers autumn 2020: HR appointments at...

10 Nov 2020

Movers and shakers: HR appointments – Jo Swinson...

26 Aug 2020

Dave Prentis to step down after 19 years...

13 Jul 2020

Uber’s head of HR Liane Hornsey resigns after...

11 Jul 2018

Sir Cary Cooper elected as new CIPD president

15 Dec 2015

Arriva appoints HR director to bus and rail...

1 Oct 2013

Barclays appoints Irene McDermott Brown as group HR...

25 Jul 2013
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+