HR Movers and Shakers

New Global Head of HR at USO

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:37:00 GMT

The USO has named Deborah Carl senior vice president, Global Human Resources. She is responsible for providing overall strategic human resources leadership and innovation to the organization at its world headquarters in Arlington, Va., as well as its stateside and overseas centers.

Carl has more than 20 years' experience in senior human resources management in the private and public sector. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.

"It is with great pleasure that I accepted the position of Global Human Resources senior vice president," Carl said. "I am honored to join such a talented group of individuals dedicated to serving America's troops and their families."

Prior to joining the USO, Carl was the vice president of Human Resources and Administration at ProjectHOPE, an international health education organization dedicated to achieving sustainable advances in healthcare around the world. She is credited with developing a comprehensive strategic planning process for the ProjectHOPE Foundation and leading its implementation within the U.S. and 32 countries.

About the USO:

For more than 66 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services.

HR Manager confirmed for transformed Akzo Nobel Group (Holland)

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:32:00 GMT

Akzo Nobel has finalized plans for the new structure of the company ahead of its acquisition of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), which is scheduled for completion on January 2, 2008.

The integrated organization will operate in three business areas - Decorative Paints, Performance Coatings and Specialty Chemicals. Under this more focused structure, ICI's retained Specialty Polymers and Regional and Industrial activities will move to Akzo Nobel Specialty Chemicals, while ICI's Packaging Coatings operation will join Akzo Nobel's Performance Coatings portfolio. ICI's deco activities will be part of the new Akzo Nobel Decorative Paints organization, which will consist of seven businesses.

It has now been confirmed that the Decorative Paints management team will include HR Manager Silke Heitmann. Silke was formerly HR manager for Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings.

Best Buy Names John Pershing to Lead Human Resources and Legal Teams

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:22:00 GMT

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) has announced the appointment of John Pershing as executive vice president, Human Capital for the corporation. In his new role, Pershing will oversee the recruiting, training, employee relations and employee development for about 140,000 employees at Best Buy’s operations around the world. The company’s legal department also will report to him. Pershing, age 37, will report to Brad Anderson, Best Buy’s vice chairman and chief executive officer. His appointment was effective December 11, 2007.

Pershing succeeds Shari Ballard who was named executive vice president, Retail Channel Management in September of this year.

“John is an engaging and energetic leader who brings a valued combination of field experience and human resources experience to his new role,” said Anderson. “He is a champion of the unique culture that we have built at Best Buy. John understands how the ecosystems in which our employees work must be continually adapted so that we create relevant experiences for our customers and build great relationships with them.”

Pershing joined Best Buy in 1989 as a retail manager and steadily advanced to positions of increasing responsibility. In 1999, Pershing was named divisional manager, responsible for loss prevention. He was promoted to vice president, retail operations for Musicland, a former Best Buy company, in 2002. In 2005, Pershing took on a new assignment as vice president of organizational alignment and the corporate transformation efforts necessary to roll out the company’s customer-centric business strategy.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisc., Pershing holds a bachelor of science degree in architectural studies from the University of Wisconsin. He also attended the executive leadership program at IMD in Lucerne, Switzerland.

An avid international traveler, Pershing continues to pursue his passion for architectural historic preservation through several projects, including his work on the renovation of a home in the historic village of Greendale, Wisc. Pershing is an active volunteer with Big Brother / Big Sisters Minnesota, serving as a “big” for more than four years. He also recently joined the board of directors of Project Success, Twin Cities.

Bank of London & The Middle East (BLME) appoints Beverley Dyson as Head of HR

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 07:35:00 GMT

The Bank of London and The Middle East (BLME), the Sharia'a compliant London-based wholesale bank, has appointed Beverley Dyson as its head of HR. Dyson joins BLME from the London branch of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (part of BNP Paribas Group) where she was also head of HR.

Past posts include head of HR and administration at Banca Popolare di Milano, and 11 years at the Banque Arab et Internationale d’Investissement (BAII), part of BNP Paribas group, before that.

Humphrey Percy, CEO of BLME, commented that this appointment marks the 5th senior appointment for BLME since its launch earlier this year.

"Beverley's experience with International Banks will undoubtedly be a major asset to the business. With over 15 years of industry experience, 11 years of which were at BAII, Beverley will further consolidate the breadth and depth of resource in our existing high quality, international team."

Source: B Dyson, BLME

Penny Stoker appointed VP Global HR Services at AstraZeneca

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:31:00 GMT

AstraZeneca has announced the appointment of Penny Stoker as vice president, Global Human Resources Services, effective January 1. In this new position, Stoker will oversee the development and implementation of processes and improved technologies that enhance the global delivery of human resources.

Stoker joined AstraZeneca in July 2004 as vice president, U.S. Human Resources. During her tenure, she is credited with building an industry-leading workforce and helping to establish a successful strategic direction for the company’s U.S. business.

“Penny’s background and expertise make her the perfect choice to help lead AstraZeneca’s global Human Resources Services organization,” says Lynn Tetrault, EVP HR and Corporate Affairs. “In this new position, she will play a pivotal role in the successful implementation of a global strategy that will help us enhance the people practices and infrastructure support needed to drive overall business success.”

Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Stoker was vice president, Organization and Management Development, with Amersham PLC, based in the U.K. She also held management positions with Coopers & Lybrand, CIGNA Corporation, and Internet Capital Group.

Stoker earned a bachelor’s degree in business and Asian Studies from the University of Maryland, and a master of business administration in accounting and international studies from Cornell University. In 2007, she was chosen by Women 3.0 Magazine as one of the top 100 women in corporate America. Her professional affiliations include Healthcare Business Women’s Association, Human Resource Planning Society, and Northwestern University’s Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement. In addition, Stoker serves as a Board Member for Women’s Way of Philadelphia.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over $3 billion in savings to more than 1 million patients throughout the US and Puerto Rico. AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2007, for the sixth consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers.

Langston Joins Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:59:00 GMT

Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson (DSRB) has announced that James A. Langston has joined the firm as a Managing Director of the firm’s Financial Services search practice.

Langston has over 15 years of experience in executive search and has served a broad array of clients and directed global Financial Services practices. Most recently with Korn/Ferry International and a past partner with Heidrick & Struggles, he has built high-performing executive and middle management teams, placed individual contributors, and directed project-based departmental build outs.

He started his career in Public Accounting and he has worked extensively in the banking and insurance industries. He received a B.S. from Drexel University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

“Jim brings extensive knowledge and expertise to this important area of the firm. He is a valuable asset as DSRB continues to expand our Financial Services practice both nationally and globally,” said Judith M. von Seldeneck, Founder, Chairman and CEO of DSRB.

DSRB, headquartered in Philadelphia, has U.S. offices in New York, Chicago and Washington, DC. The firm offers global search capabilities with over 55 offices in 35 countries around the world. DSRB offers industry specialization in consumer & industrial; education, not-for-profit, arts & culture; financial & professional services; healthcare & human services; life sciences; media & entertainment; and technology. Functional areas of emphasis include Board of Directors; diversity; Chief Financial Officers; human resources; and development & fundraising.

Founded in 1974 by von Seldeneck, DSRB has experienced dramatic growth during the past several years. In 2005, the firm acquired Ray & Berndtson of New York and concurrently became the exclusive U.S. partner in the Ray & Berndtson international partnership. DSRB is recognized for delivering high quality consultative senior-level executive search services and corporate Board searches to clients ranging from smaller privately-held firms and not-for-profits to some of the world’s largest public companies.

For more information about Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson, visit www.diversifiedsearch.com

Altium appoints Anand Shankaran from HP as Global Chief People Officer (Australia)

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:41:00 GMT

Altium, the world’s leading developer of unified electronics design solutions, has appointed Anand Shankaran as Chief People Officer for Altium worldwide, based in Sydney.

Mr Shankaran’s experience includes a number of senior positions with Hewlett-Packard, most recently as HR Director Asia-Pacific & Japan, and Country Manager India for Hewlett-Packard Services. He also held senior positions with a division of Apple in India.

Altium Limited (ASX:ALU) is the leading developer of electronic product development solutions dedicated to unifying the different design disciplines involved in electronics product development. Altium products ensure all electronic engineers, designers, developers, and their organizations take maximum advantage of emerging design technologies to bring smarter products to market faster and easier. Founded in 1985, Altium has headquarters in Sydney, Australia, sales offices in the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and resellers in all other major markets. For more information, please visit www.altium.com.

ING Group appoints Wilbert Buiter as Head of Group Human Resources

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:18:00 GMT

ING has announced that it has appointed Wilbert Buiter as Head of Group Human Resources. Wilbert Buiter succeeds Marina Eloy who will retire from ING as of 1 January 2008. Mrs Eloy joined ING in 2000 and was appointed Head of Group Human Resources in 2004.

Michel Tilmant, Chairman of ING Group said: "Under Marina Eloy's leadership ING's HR organisation was transformed into a more international and professional organisation. I wish to thank Mrs Eloy for playing an essential role in putting ING's performance culture on the map and building a strong and diverse workforce and talent pool."

"Wilbert Buiter has outstanding international experience in human resources and a very good understanding of the Dutch environment. I trust that this combination will benefit our entire HR organisation in the years to come", said Michel Tilmant.

Wilbert Buiter joined ING in 2004 as Head of Human Resources Netherlands. In his new position Mr Buiter will report to Michel Tilmant, Chairman of ING Group. Prior to joining ING, Mr Buiter worked in a range of senior international HR positions in multinational companies like Philips and NCR Corporation, Ohio.

Colin Wahlen joins Alsbridge from IBM's BTO business

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:10:00 GMT

Alsbridge, the independent advisors on outsourcing, shared services and offshoring have announced that Colin Whalen has joined the HR, Payroll and Change Management Practice as a Senior Manager. Colin has over 19 years of client facing consultancy, advisory and service delivery experience and his most recent role was working as an HR Delivery Leader and Management Consultant in IBM’s Business Transformation Outsourcing (BTO) business.

His experience includes:

- Transition and delivery commencement of HR and Payroll services from IBM’s HR Centre in Budapest for Lenovo and leadership of IBM’s BTO account of the HR Service Centre in Newcastle providing HR and payroll services to over 43,000 Procter & Gamble employees across the EMEA region

- HR Outsourcing and HR Transformation adviser to National Grid

Colin’s key skills lay in outsourcing service delivery leadership, programme and project management, business change management, IT consulting, systems development, SAP and business development. Alsbridge plc Head of HR, Payroll and Change Management, William Benn, welcomes Mr Whalen to the team, commenting “Colin is a talented HR expert with many years experience in outsourcing advisory and delivery. We are sure he will be an asset to both our team and to the client engagements he will be working on”. Prior to his work in process outsourcing, Colin was a Management Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Given his recent experience, Colin will primarily focus on providing HRO advisory and consulting services to Alsbridge clients.

About Alsbridge

Alsbridge is the award winning global advisory firm, providing unbiased advice and assistance on outsourcing, shared services and offshoring. Alsbridge consultants bring extensive vertical industry expertise and a practical knowledge of all areas within information technology and business process outsourcing. The firm's proven methodology incorporates proprietary collaborative sessions, bringing together executive teams from both the client and the provider in an environment that fosters collaboration. Alsbridge supports its recommendations and assistance through significant investments in proprietary benchmarking and ongoing research within the industry. For more information, visit www.alsbridge.com.

Guardian Media Group HR Director appointed to the board of Christian Aid

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:58:00 GMT

International development agency Christian Aid has appointed 6 new trustees to join the 14 current members. The new board members include Carolyn Gray, who is Group HR Director at GMG.

Ms Gray is a member of the Council of the Institute of Employment Studies and sits on the Executive of the Involvement and Participation Association. She has previously worked in HR with Sainburys, Focus Wickes and Smiths Group.

ITT Corporation appoints 3 Senior Diversity Specialists in US & UK

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:09:00 GMT

ITT Corporation announced it has named Robert L. (Bob) Ellis as its Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. In this role, Ellis, 56, will lead ITT's Inclusion & Diversity Center of Excellence, a global initiative designed to foster an inclusive employee environment that draws value from the diverse backgrounds and talents of its workforce. He succeeds Usha Wright, ITT's first inclusion and diversity officer, who is retiring.

Ellis brings more than 25 years experience to this role. He joins ITT from Northrop Grumman, where he established the strategic diversity function for its Electronic Systems & Integration Division and served as head of strategic diversity for the Integrated Systems Sector for eight years. Ellis will report to Scott Crum, senior vice president and director of global human resources for ITT.

"Bob is a proven leader who brings to ITT a track record for helping organizations create more diverse and inclusive employee environments. We're pleased to add Bob's experience and expertise to our team and expect his leadership will take this important work to the next level," said Steve Loranger, ITT's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

In conjunction with this change, ITT also named Tomas Leal, 54, and Amy Taney, 34, to two newly created positions supporting the Inclusion & Diversity Center of Excellence. Leal joins ITT as director of Global Inclusion & Diversity based in Basingstoke, England. He will help integrate global inclusion and diversity strategies within ITT's international facilities. Leal brings to ITT more than 14 years of global experience and joins from BP, where he most recently served as regional diversity and inclusion manager for Africa, the Middle East, Russia and the Caspian regions. Taney, who has 12 years of service with ITT, was named manager of Inclusion & Diversity for North America. In this role, she will work closely with leaders across the United States, Canada and Mexico to develop inclusion and diversity programs for these regions. Both Leal and Taney will report to Bob Ellis.

About ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation ( www.itt.com ) supplies advanced technology products and services in several growth markets. ITT is a global leader in water and fluid transport, treatment and control technology. The company plays a vital role in international security with communications and electronics products; space surveillance and intelligence systems; and advanced engineering and services. It also serves a number of growing markets—including marine, transportation and aerospace—with a wide range of motion and flow control technologies. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company employs approximately 35,000 people and generated $7.8 billion in 2006 sales.

Rentokil Initial HR Director accepts non-exec role with Rob Walters

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:01:00 GMT

Robert Walters, the global recruitment specialist, has announced the appointment of Andrew Kemp as a Non-Executive Director of the Company. Mr Kemp is currently Director of HR at Rentokil Initial plc.

Operating across five continents, with 29 offices in 15 countries, Robert Walters plc is one of the worlds leading global specialist recruitment and recruitment outsourcing businesses.

Time Warner Cable promotes Tom Mathews

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:04:00 GMT

Time Warner Cable has announced the promotion of Tom Mathews to Executive Vice President of Human Resources. He had previously served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Mathews will continue to lead the Human Resources department, which includes the areas of compensation and benefits, employee relations, learning and development, talent acquisition, and HR information systems. He will also continue to report to Rob Marcus, Senior Executive Vice President.

"Tom has built our Human Resources team into a fully-developed strategic partner at the executive level across our entire operations," said Marcus. "By understanding the need to secure and advance the right people for the right positions and by acquiring and fully leveraging available technologies, he has helped to better position the Company for future challenges and opportunities."

Mathews joined Time Warner Cable in January of 2002 in the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Human Resources. In the last five years, he has developed and driven a progressive human resources strategy that supports the Company’s more than 45,000 employees. He has also added numerous new human resource programs and systems including advanced compensation, benefit management and reporting tools and employee initiated performance management and development systems. In addition, the HR team under Mathews’ direction has focused the Company on diversity initiatives.

Mathews came to Time Warner Cable from AOL, where he served as the Vice President of International Human Resources from 1999 through 2001. He was responsible for developing and implementing AOL’s Human Resources strategy for its workforce outside of the US. Prior to joining AOL, Mathews was the Vice President of Human Resources for International Data Group in Framingham, Mass from 1990-1999. Earlier in his career he worked in HR roles at Shearson Lehman Brothers, Data General Corporation and The Pillsbury Company.

Mathews has an MBA from the University of Michigan and a BS from Trinity College.

About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable owns and manages cable systems passing approximately 26 million homes in 33 states. Headquartered in New York City, Time Warner Cable has 14.6 million customers for its various products, including video, high-speed data and residential telephone. This includes approximately 13.3 million basic video subscribers and more than 6.9 million customers who purchase more than one product. Time Warner Cable includes some of the most technologically advanced and best-clustered cable systems in the country, with nearly 85 percent of the Company’s customers located in five geographic regions: New York, Texas, Ohio, the Carolinas and southern California. It is the largest cable provider in the nation’s two largest cities, Los Angeles and New York. Leveraging its leadership in innovation and quality customer care, Time Warner Cable delivers advanced products and services such as video-on-demand, high-definition television, digital video recorders, high-speed data and Digital Phone.

SSI hires Kim Giangrande as VP HR, responsible for Global Talent

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Survey Sampling International (SSI) has announced that Kim Giangrande has joined the group as VP HR.

Kim Giangrande brings 17 years of business and human resource leadership experience to SSI. Most recently, Giangrande was vice president, human resources, of Mailroom Services and Hasler Inc., representing both shared services and operating companies of Neopost SA of Paris, France. Prior to that, Giangrande worked in various service and operations roles for Physicians Health Services Inc.

Giangrande earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources and health care management, as well as her master of science coursework in business management from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. She also earned the designation of senior professional in human resources from the Human Resource Certification Institute.

"SSI has a dynamic working environment. Employees are encouraged to strengthen their skills and grow their careers by working in other functional areas of the company and in other country locations,” explained Giangrande.

"I am thrilled to play a lead role in implementing the global talent management and development processes required to enable SSI to continue to deliver superior client service and value worldwide,” added Giangrande.

About Survey Sampling International

Survey Sampling International (SSI) is the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI offers access to consumer and business-to-business respondents via Internet, telephone, mobile, and other means. Additional services include survey programming and hosting; data collection, random digit dialing, and sampling consultation. SSI serves more than 1,800 marketing research clients, including 46 of the top 50 researchers in the United States and 18 of the top 25 worldwide.

SSI provides access to more than 3.5 million research respondents in more than 50 countries, via proprietary communities and managed affiliate relationships. Founded in 1977, SSI has an international staff of more than 320 people representing 49 countries and 35 languages. The company is based in Fairfield, CT with additional offices in London, Paris, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and La Quinta, CA.

The University of Abertay Dundee appoints new Head of Human Resources

Anonymous — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:48:00 GMT

The University of Abertay Dundee has a new Head of Human Resources – Colin Grethè.

Colin has worked in human resources for over 25 years, mainly within the higher education sector but also in the NHS and at Wigan Athletic Football Club. He has also worked with youngsters with special needs, and undertaken consultancy work with major companies such as British Airways, Sainsbury’s, and Heinz.

But that’s just the start of his story. As well as spending five years working in the Netherlands, Colin has travelled extensively and experienced the different cultures of almost 30 countries, including Ukraine, Japan, USA, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Norway, and his personal favourite - Thailand, where he met his wife.

Travelling isn’t his only interest though: some people might just recognise Colin from his TV debut back in 1995. His appearance started with the now immortal words: ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be…’. When those sliding doors opened Colin had been transformed into cult Australian entertainer Rolf Harris and his version of Two Little Boys was such a hit he was invited back for the Granada TV Christmas Special, attracting an audience of some 12 million!

Colin’s interests also include complementary therapies, and he is a qualified hypnotherapist. His other passion is the paranormal and he is currently developing a research website for a planned PhD looking at paranormal activity in the workplace.

Colin is originally from Anfield, Liverpool (growing up in the shadow of the world-famous Kop), but his family have always had strong connections with Scotland, being part of the Lindsay Clan. On arriving in Scotland, Colin said: “I am absolutely delighted to be in Dundee and in particular with Abertay. It is a hugely impressive organisation, brimming with professionalism, innovation and enthusiasm, all focused on delivering a great experience for students”.

As Head of Human Resources, Colin’s role is to ensure HR effectively underpins Abertay’s Strategic Plan and integrates best working practices, policies and procedures. Colin’s ambition is to provide an HR function with a bit of a difference, he says: “I want us to undertake our work in a positive manner……it is not just about ‘what’ you do, but ‘how’ you do it.”