Business change cannot be delivered without excellent support from HR, according to Seven Seas' managing director, Tim Perman (pictured).

Speaking to senior HR practitioners and thinkers at HR magazine's Leaders Club sponsored by Buck Consultants, Perman said: "I passionately believe the people agenda is bigger than any of us and I need my HRD to coach me to be the best I can be."

When Perman took on the role of MD at Seven Seas two years ago he replaced the personnel manager with an HR director in the form of Craig Wright.

Since then the company, which is a division of global pharmaceutical giant Merck, has undergone massive amounts of change to update processes and nurture efficiency.

Perman explained: "When I joined Seven Seas, I knew there was a very traditional company culture with a ‘parent child' management structure. I wanted to create openness without all these divisions. I knew we needed a dramatic HR agenda to get the business back on track. I couldn't have done any of this without my HRD."

Wright (pictured below) said: "I knew my MD ‘got it' with regards to HR. But I had to quickly sort out the broken HR department and move things forward."

Since Wright's appointment absence rates at the firm have dropped from 10% to 3%, Seven Seas has embarked on a job advertising campaign to attract talent to its base in Hull, it has implemented flexible working processes, including a hot desk facility in Leeds, and communication channels between Perman and the management team and employees are much more open.

Wright  added: "This is radical change. Long-serving staff sometimes thought change was too quick while new employees wanted to drive the pace."

But the unusual relationship between Wright and Perman means they meet almost every day to discuss (and sometimes debate) business issues, and drive strategy forward.

Commenting on the successful relationship between MD and HRD, Perman added: "HR directors need to link all their ideas to business performance and show it to their MD within business terms and with a clear timescale. I passionately believe in people, but for HR to be taken seriously all their ideas must always be brought back to business."