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: Mark Pearce, group head of HR, SEGRO

by Personnel Today 2 May 2008
by Personnel Today 2 May 2008

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

I’ve been at SEGRO (formally Slough Estates) for four years, with responsibility for designing and implementing new organisational structures, integrating new people following acquisitions and making the HR function more business-focused.

What qualifications do you hold?

An HND in business and finance and a post-graduate diploma in HR management.

What are the duties in your new role?

Overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the HR department and developing and implementing our people strategy.

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

Talent management will remain a key challenge.

What is the most overrated tool in your job?

E-mail is useful but over-utilised.

And what work tool would you like to see invented?

A remote control to fast forward through unproductive meetings.

What is the worst thing about HR?

It is an interesting and diverse profession suffering from an image problem.

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

I love comedy and to laugh. For me this is the best way to switch off.

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

Having a conversation with a student who was working part time and having to explain that coming in to work was an essential part of the arrangement. To which she replied, “But what if I am too busy?”

What was your lucky break?

I was looking for my first job in HR and met the HR manager of a London hotel chain at a dinner party and that led to my first job.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Intuitive, inquisitive and sociable.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Carl Jung for his philosophy, Norman Foster because of my love of architecture, Bjork for her music and Jennifer Saunders for the jokes.

What advice would you give someone starting out in HR?

Join a networking forum. It is important to build up a group of people on whom you can rely for advice, support and knowledge.

What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?

Reuniting my father with his long-lost family.

Sum up your philosophy on life in one sentence.

Everything happens for a reason.

Pearce’s CV

Apr 2008-present – Group head of HR, SEGRO (property investment and development)

Apr 2007-Apr 2008 – Head of HR, UK and continental Europe, SEGRO

Apr 2004-Apr 2007 – HR business partner, SEGRO

Apr 1995-Apr 2004 – Sainsbury’s. Roles included HR business associate and recruitment manager.

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
Lord Leitch defends HR profession as in tune with business objectives
next post
Career fear forces employees to shun opportunity for flexible working

You may also like

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

Movers and shakers: top HR appointments for Accenture...

28 Jan 2022

Unilever announces new HR lead as part of...

26 Jan 2022

Baroness McGregor-Smith becomes CIPD president

25 Jan 2022
  • 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+