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Rhiannon Chapman has been appointed people manager at the Society of British Aerospace Com-panies (SBAC), the trade association for the British aerospace industry.
Where were you working before?
Since my last full-time appointment as chief executive of the Industrial Society, I have been working with a 'portfolio' of appointments - non-executive directorships, public appointments, conference work, executive coaching and writing.
What will your duties be?
I am contracted to work with SBAC for 70% of my time. It has been described as a 'thought leadership' role, where the challenge is to identify ways in which SBAC can add value for its member companies and the aerospace industry, by leading initiatives in the people management and skills development area.
What do you hope to achieve?
To help the UK's aerospace industry become more competitive and enable it to take maximum advantage of its attractiveness as an employer of highly-qualified, innovative people.
What are the challenges HR faces in the next five years?
HR's challenges are the business challenges, which HR people should be responding to.
What is the strangest situation you have been in at work?
I once - deliberately - locked a former chairman out of his own boardroom during a board meeting.
Who is your ultimate guru?
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American poet and philosopher.
What is the most annoying piece of management jargon?
I strongly dislike the use of sporting idiom, which is very excluding of people who happen not to know the sport.
What's the worst thing about HR?
That it is often overwhelmed by administrative minutiae and is rarely set up to perform as an effective, strategic business partner.
How do you fill your spare time?
I have been building up my involvement in village life. I also love travelling, reading, painting, badminton and spending time with family and friends.
What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?
When I left the Stock Exchange in 1990 and had nothing lined up. At the time, I had a large mortgage and dependent family, no cash in the bank, no job, no home and no idea of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I have never looked back.
The essential tool in your job?
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