In this book, the authors draw on their massive wealth of experience to provide guidance on ways to improve business by enhancing the key role of HR. The authors show that proactive HR leadership can make a real and positive impact on a business. They look at the attributes needed to be a successful HR leader; technical and business competency, confidence and courage; and provide practical advice on what an HR practitioner can do to make a difference in their business. The book covers: the changing role of HR in organisations; the challenge of sustainability in organisations; the role of HR today; the learning organisation; leading change; sustaining partnership; HR strategy and business strategy; operating at board level; and, making your company an employer of choice.
Clive Morton
Dr Clive Morton is an independent adviser and coach on world-class strategy
and board development and leads the Morton Partnership, which specialises
in organisational transformation. He is a civil engineering graduate from
Leeds University and spent the early part of his career in the British
construction industry, working in both engineering and industrial
relations. He also has a PhD in industrial relations from the London School
of Economics. In the early 1980s he served as Director of Resources and
Administration at Wimpey Offshore and Wimpey Engineering, before joining
Komatsu as Director of Personnel and Administration at the outset of the
company''s UK manufacturing operations in 1986. In July 1992 Dr Morton was
appointed Director of Personnel at Northern Electric. He was awarded the
OBE in the same year for services to manufacturing and the community. He
became Personnel Director of Rolls-Royce Industrial Power Group in April
1994 and then worked with Anglian Water from March 1996 until March 2000,
first as human resources director and latterly as director of business
development. Clive was a vice-president of the (now Chartered) Institute of
Personnel and Development between 1997 and 1999, and is actively involved
in a number of learning and innovation organisations. He is also chairman
of Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust.
Andrew Newall
Andrew Newall is the Corporate Human Resources Director for Allied Domecq,
where he focuses on HR operations and the management of knowledge at the
organisational level. His academic background includes a BA in social
theory from Paisley College of Technology, an MA in employment law from
Leicester University, an MBA from Warwick University and a diploma in
personnel management from Glasgow College of Technology. He began his
career in personnel with the British Steel Corporation at their Ravenscraig
site, where he was employed as an Industrial Relations Officer. He was
promoted to the post of personnel manager for Whitehead Narrow Strip Ltd, a
wholly owned subsidiary of British Steel. From there he moved to Llanwern
Steelworks in south Wales before moving to Rotherham as project manager for
the Narrow Strip business. In 1993 he joined Laura Ashley Ltd as Human
Resources Manager, initially responsible for their manufacturing units,
before taking on responsibility for all activities in Wales. He was moved
to Maidenhead as Project Manager to coordinate the HR activities arising
from a global restructuring. In November 1995 he joined Allied Distillers
Ltd as the Employee Relations Development Manager and was promoted to
Director in January 1998. He sits as a council member of the CBI and
regularly speaks at management conferences.
Jon Sparkes
Jon Sparkes is the Human Resources Director of the Generics Group, an
integrated technology and business consulting, development and investment
company. His main focus is the growth and development of an organisation
based on innovation and diversity. Jon graduated from Loughborough
University with a BSc in management sciences, and gained his post-graduate
diploma in personnel management at Nottingham Business School. He began his
career in an employee relations role at GPT Business Systems (formerly GEC
Plessey Telecommunications) during a time of significant change in the
telecommunications industry. This was followed by several human resources
roles within GPT, with a particular focus on manufacturing and IT. In 1993
Jon moved to Southern Derbyshire Training and Enterprise Council. His role
included both human resources and operational responsibility for the TEC''s
interests in local economic development, labour market research and
education. At this time he was a governor of a local further education
college and one of the founder Directors of Routes to Work (Derby) Limited,
a company providing jobs and training for long-term unemployed people. Jon
joined the Generics Group in 1995, initially as Human Resources Manager,
and in January 2001 he joined the group executive board shortly after its
flotation on the London Stock Exchange. His role encompasses HR
responsibility for all group operations in the UK, USA, Sweden and
Switzerland. Jon is also a Non-Eexecutive Director of Opportunity Links, a
not-forprofit business providing innovative social information systems.
