I am an expert in:
I currently speak extensively to conferences both in the UK and internationally; consult in a variety of sectors in the area of culture and performance; and mentor CEOs and Executives. I am also Chairman of the Institute for Employment Studies.
I was an Executive Board Director at Asda for 10 years with experience of Strategy Formulation and Plan Execution across multiple units.
My final role at Asda, in 2009, was People and IT Director with 170,000 people and £15bn Turnover.
I am an HR Professional, and have spent my entire career in the HR sphere. I was People Director of Asda from 2000 to 2009. I commenced my career in the Coal Industry and am a People Generalist. I honed my Industrial Relations skills in the 'Crucible' of the Miners' Strikes and the subsequent Restructuring of the Mining Industry, in preparation for privatisation. My career in the industry spanned 19 years, in a variety of locations and positions where I developed a broad base of experience of the Human Resources problems facing Leaders at times of major change. I am an expert in Change Management.
In 2009, I embarked on a planned 'New Chapter' in my life as an Author; Business Speaker; Consultant; and Non-Exec Director. I have been working in a variety of sectors; in a range of businesses from large to small; with a focus on culture and improving people performance.
I speak at conferences to large audiences, but also to small groups of CEOs and the Boards of Companies. I did not set out with mentoring as part of my business model, but have increasingly been requested for mentoring purposes by CEOs and other Executive Directors. My style is practical, simple and down to earth. I actively avoid corporate jargon and the complexity of usual academic models - preferring story-telling and real life experience of change.
I am a Business Graduate from Sheffield Hallam, and have an MBA from Henley Management College. I am also a Companion of the Charted Institute of People and Development. I have a keen interest in the views of both Academics and Practitioners, and read widely around the areas of Business Management; Engagement; Motivation and Leadership.
I was a Commissioner with the Equal Opportunities Commission from 2002 to 2005, and a Vice President of the CIPD (for Organisation and Development) between 2003 and 2005. I am currently Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Employment Studies.
I was a key member of the Team which turned Asda from ailing 4th rank food retailer to the successful player it was upon my departure, as part of the Wal-Mart family. Iwas a key part of the People Team making Asda a 'Great Place to Work' since 1994. I became People Director of Asda in 2000 and joined the Executive Board at that time. During my tenure I, together with my Team, introduced ground-breaking initiatives, such as Asda's first All Colleague Bonus Scheme; Benidorm and Grandparents' Leave to help older workers achieve a better Work-Life Balance; IVF Leave; and Basic Skills programmes that helped Asda Colleagues learn. These schemes, plus many more, resulted in Asda not only be voted as the Number 1 UK Best Place to Work in The Sunday Times Survey; the Financial Times and also Fortune Europe magazine; but I also received the Sam Walton Award for my contribution to driving Excellence in People Policies.
Since then, I, along with my Team embarked on a process of sharing Best Practice with colleagues in Wal-Mart. This resulted on concepts such as Asda's 'Stores of Learning' being adopted by every country in which Wal-Mart operates. The US Core Business also adopted some of Asda's leading edge HR Policies into their domestic operation.
