HR Experience Across Private Sector and Higher Education
An accomplished HR professional for over 30 years, Heather has a broad range of experience working across both private and higher education sectors, supporting organisations with HR consultancy, employee relations and people strategy.
Marks & Spencer: Management and Regional HR Leadership
Beginning her working life in 1983 for Marks & Spencer as a sales assistant, she progressed on a management career path working in both commercial and human resources roles for 23 years. HR became her favoured discipline, and she fulfilled a number of regional HR Manager positions for M&S across the Northwest dealing with all aspects of the HR function from managing store salary budgets to payroll, from recruitment to training and supporting and coaching managers with employee relations issues.
Higher Education HR: University of Cumbria and Lancaster University
A move to higher education in 2007 was a significant change in sector. Working as a Senior HR Advisor at the University of Cumbria and then moving to Lancaster University as a HR Business Partner gave Heather exposure to the culture and the day-to-day operating life of an academic institution.
Acting as the HR lead supporting Deans of Faculty and Directors of Services, her role was to align HR practices with the institution’s goals, helping leaders understand and implement appropriate strategies and tailoring them to the needs of different business units. During this time, she dealt with complex employee relations matters and developed deeper expertise in job evaluation, organisational design, TUPE, change management programmes, union engagement, conflict management and resolution, and policy development.
Regional HR Manager: Building a New Northwest Region
Heather returned to the private sector in 2015 as Regional HR Manager for Story Homes where she was responsible for the people strategy in delivering a new Northwest region. This included setting up the HR processes, delivering the workforce plan and recruiting over 100 office and site staff to resource and service 15 new housing developments across Lancashire.
UCLan: Organisational Design, Restructure and Consultation
She then moved to the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) as HR Business Partner and undertook various projects including acting as HR lead for the organisational design and restructure of academic schools and services. This included managing and coordinating voluntary redundancy applications and significant employee and trade union consultation.
Consultancy Approach and HR Support for Employers
Heather has a genuine interest and desire to support people in business. She brings natural energy and enthusiasm, building strong relationships at all levels whilst providing practical and compliant HR solutions to meet customer and business needs. Having engaged in consultancy roles over the past three years, this has enabled her to share her broad professional expertise in supporting businesses with all aspects of HR, including day-to-day HR support, employee relations, policies and HR documents and management training.
