One of the UK's brightest human resource managers has been honoured by Manchester Metropolitan University.

David Fairhurst, who was voted HR director of the year 2006 by readers of HR Magazine, and last month secured number 1 position in the Personnel Today Top-40 HR Power Players list, received an honorary doctorate in business administration from MMU Business School.

This is the first time a human resources professional has been honoured in this way by MMU, which is a clear signal that the contribution of people in organisations and the wider economy is being fully recognised.

Making reference to speeches by Gordon Brown and David Cameron encouraging employers to invest more in the development of their staff, Wigan-born Fairhurst told the audience at MMU's graduation ceremony at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester: "Human resources is a discipline which I and many others believe could change the lives of people in the 21st Century as much as mechanisation, automation and information technology did in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Fairhurst, 39, has enjoyed a rich and varied career in HR including being the youngest group manager at H J Heinz Ltd. As director of recruitment and leadership planning for SmithKline Beecham, he took the company to 'European Employer of Choice' status in its sector.

After five years as corporate HR director at Tesco, Fairhurst joined McDonald's Restaurants Ltd in 2005 where he is now senior vice president, chief people officer for Northern Europe. Here he has vowed to improve the confidence of staff and help them develop "skills for life". In addition he aims to dispel the negative myths surrounding jobs in McDonald's and the hospitality and service sector as a whole.

Fairhurst is chair of the new Centre for Professional Personnel and Development within MMUBS and a keen supporter of the University and the human resource management profession. "In all that he has done to date and in his plans for the future, David is an excellent role model for staff, students within the University and to the growing number of alumni from the institution," added Professor Morris.