<b>Sir Martin Sorrell isnt easily impressed. But he was quick to see Beth Axelrods potential as WPPs chief talent officer. By Sheridan Winn</b>

<b>Concetta Lanciaux's intuitive understanding of creativity makes her ideally suited to her HR role at luxury labels group LVMH, says Amanda Nottage</b>

Vital statistics<b>Number of employees: 6,600</b><b>Turnover: 118.9 million</b><b>HR director: Jane Roberts</b>

<b>Barclays group HR director is an irresistible force of positivism, says Andrew Davidson, a combination of charm and determination honed by a Scottish, Calvinistic upbringing</b>

<b>Persistence, resilience and a certain bloody-mindedness are the characteristics successful leaders have in common, Stefan Stern discovers. But how do you develop them?</b>

<b>A century-old company with a modern attitude to HR</b>

<b>HR informs everything that Debenhams does, the store groups CEO tells Khalid Aziz</b>

Name<b>Neil MacIntosh</b>Job title<b>Group human resources director</b>Company<b>Dairy Crest</b>

<b>By involving staff from the beginning of its revival plan, Nissan transformed attitudes and revolutionised its car production. Sheridan Winn reports</b>