?Gary Cookson’s lightbulb moment came in 2017 when he was speaking at a CIPD conference on the subject of flexible working and how HR should lead by example

?A former executive people director and people and IT director at Asda Stores, David Smith founded his consultancy in 2009

?The range of sectors Melanie Steel has worked for is wide, and as such she epitomises the value a multi-sector HR professional can bring

Karen Beaven started her career training as a horse riding instructor, has played bass in a band, then moved into retail and then found her calling in HR

?Becoming president of the Public Service People Managers Association (PPMA) in April 2018, Grave has also held a range of senior HR roles over the years

Working as head of HR and then HR director at EY between 1997 and 2001, Jon Ingham is today a consultant and trainer working both in the UK and abroad

There will be few in HR who haven’t seen Lucy Adams speak or heard of her work

Althea Loderick has been a stalwart of the HR Most Influential Practitioners ranking’s top three for several years now

?Guy Pink is the former interim chief executive and fromer executive director of HR at Addaction

?Paul Taylor-Pitt began his career as a care worker in a residential home for people with HIV-related brain impairment

?Previously HR director at Dell, Marconi and then Morrison’s, Pickavance now heads up independent, not-for-profit think-tank Tomorrow’s Company

?Stephen Dando has had a stellar HR career with some of the biggest brand names in the world in his portfolio, including Diageo and Guinness