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+

Careers in HRPeople NewsThe HR profession

Top Job: Ann Kiceluk, head of personnel, Aylesbury Vale District Council

by Tara Craig 23 Jun 2008
by Tara Craig 23 Jun 2008

Where were you working before, and what were your responsibilities?

I was working for The Open University, heading up HR for the Academic Departments.

What qualifications do you hold?

Bachelors degree in industrial relations and psychology, masters degree in HR, diploma in applied social sciences and I am a fellow of the CIPD.

What are the duties in your new role?

Leading the personnel division and developing HR strategy to assist the council deliver its corporate plan and business transformation programme.

What are the main challenges HR faces in the next five years?

Outsourcing, internationalisation and increasing EU legislation.

What is the most overrated tool in your job?

Benchmarking – HR people need to focus instead on the standards of excellence relevant to their own organisation.

And what work tool would you like to see invented?

A PC that boots up and is ready to go in less than five seconds.

What is the worst thing about HR?

Having to persuade others you’re not just about redundancy, recruitment and job grading.

How do you wind down after a bad day in the office?

I’m currently training to climb Ben Nevis for charity, so some walking in my new boots.

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

I once interviewed a man who wanted to bring his wife into the interview with him, and then part way through the interview I realised he was actually drunk.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Driven, enthusiastic and outspoken.

What was your lucky break?

At 21, getting a job as assistant personnel officer, with no personnel experience.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

U2 singer Bono, along with US politicians Bill and Hillary Clinton.

What advice would you give someone starting out in HR?

Listen – find out the real issue before rushing in with a solution.

What job would you like your children to do?

Anything they like, as long as it doesn’t take them too far away from me.

What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?

Moving to the UK from Australia without knowing a single person.

Sum up your philosophy on life in one sentence.

Life is about living – so make the most of every second.

 

Kiceluk’s CV

Jun 2008-present – Head of personnel, Aylesbury Vale District Council (local government)

Jun 2003-May 2008 – Head of HR, Academic Units, The Open University (higher education)

Mar 1995-May 2003 – HR manager, The Open University (higher education)

Nov 1993-Feb 1995 – Senior personnel officer, University of Wollongong, Australia (higher education)

Avatar
Tara Craig

previous post
UK employees take second jobs to cope with credit crunch
next post
Sharp rise in SWI runs against downward trend

You may also like

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers April 2022: Santander UK appoints...

22 Apr 2022

Time to kill off the HR business partner?...

8 Apr 2022

HR careers survey: three in four confident about...

30 Mar 2022

Movers and shakers March 2022: Appointments at Domino’s,...

14 Mar 2022

Movers and shakers February 2022: HR appointments at...

21 Feb 2022

HR chiefs report acute candidate shortage

10 Feb 2022

HR and recruitment roles shine in ‘best jobs’...

2 Feb 2022
  • 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+