Strategic HR HR Most Influential
staffed by people who are
Romanian, Hungarian, Polish…
whose status is unknown in
terms of what the government’s
view will be post-Brexit.”
“It’s people just not deciding
to come here. In health there
have been so many consultants
deciding not to come or going
back to Europe. It’s real,” says
O’Connor, who states the most
impactful HR practitioners will
therefore be those thinking
creatively about the war for
talent – by embracing flexible
working for instance, which is
“still quite a neglected area” in
many quarters.
Navigating the storm
Which brings us to our topranked
HR Most Influential
practitioner this year. Someone
who is undeniably the UK HRD
most at the centre of and affected
by Brexit uncertainty.
“There is nothing more
difficult today than the civil
service,” says O’Connor of why
our panel decided this year
should be government chief
people officer Rupert McNeil’s
year. “The ambiguity it’s facing is
unbelievable. What you need is a
safe pair of hands, a steady head,
a calm outlook…”
As such focus on the wellbeing
of those civil servants
unavoidably facing huge
amounts of pressure has been
paramount – something all
organisations should take their
lead from, says Tiplady.
“Mental health is now
talked about in daily parlance
in a way it wasn’t even two
years ago. Now it’s almost top
of the agenda in terms of
organisational risk. HR should
take the lead in prompting
managers to think about the
effects on staff as a result of
their managerial performance,”
he says, highlighting that
tackling bullying will be a key
part of this.
HR Most Influential
Practitioners 2019
1. Rupert McNeil, chief people
offi cer, Government
2. Sally Austin, group HR
director, Wincanton
3. Kate Guthrie, group HR
director, Clydesdale and
Yorkshire Bank
4. Ann Pickering, HR director,
O2 (Telefónica UK)
5. Leena Nair, chief HR
offi cer, Unilever
6. Eugenio Pirri, chief people
and culture offi cer,
Dorchester Collection
7. Mandy Coalter,
former director of people,
United Learning
8. Simon Linares, HR director,
Direct Line
9. Jabbar Sardar, HR director,
BBC Studios
10. Siobhán Sheridan,
chief people director,
Ministry of Defence
11. Baljinder Kang, executive
director of people services,
Midland Heart
12. Andrew Dodman, chief
offi cer of HR, Leeds City Council
13. Danny Harmer, chief
people offi cer, Metro Bank
14. Neil Morrison, director of
HR, Severn Trent
15. Natalie Bickford,
group HR director, Merlin
Entertainments Group
16. Rachel Brace, HR director,
Football Association
17. Emma Rose, HR director,
Kerry Foods
18. Jane Storm, chief people
offi cer, Saga
19. Ella Bennett, group people
director, Easyjet
20. Karen Shepperson,
director of people and
operations, Ofsted
21. Kathryn Austin,
chief people and marketing
director, Pizza Hut Restaurants
22. Danny Mortimer, chief
executive, NHS Employers
23. Debbie Alder, director
general, people and capability,
Department for Work and
Pensions
24. Louise Smalley, group HR
director, Whitbread
25. Shokat Lal, assistant chief
executive, Rotherham Council
26. Kathryn Pritchard,
chief HR offi cer,
Nord Anglia Education
27. Annette Andrews, chief
people offi cer, Lloyd’s of London
28. Carol Kavanagh, group HR
director, Travis Perkins Group
29. Claire Gore, director of
HR and OD, London North West
University Healthcare NHS Trust
30. Des Pullen, group HR
director, Associated British Foods
31. Harvey Francis, executive
vice president, Skanska UK
32. David Frost, group
organisational development
director, Total Produce
33. Paula Jordan, group HR
director, McCarthy & Stone
34. Jon Dawson, director of
HR, Mandarin Oriental
Hyde Park London & One Hyde
Park Residences
35. Helen Webb, chief people
and services offi cer, Co-op
36. Alison Rumsey,
chief HR offi cer,
Associated British Ports
37. Tim Jones, group head of
HR, London Stock Exchange
38. Deborah Lee,
group engagement director,
Compass Group
39. Geoff Tranfi eld, group HR
director, IMI
40. Will Serle, chief people
offi cer, Capita
18 HR October 2019 hrmagazine.co.uk
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