Job title: Director for group organisation and leadership development
Company: ScottishPower
What are your key responsibilities?
Performance management, reward and development of the companys top 250 managers.
Previous jobs (both HR and non-HR)?
I was with the Royal Bank of Scotland for 17 years first as a banker and then in HR. I did an MBA at Edinburgh in the mid-90s, and joined ScottishPower two and a half years ago.
Why did you choose ScottishPower?
I was headhunted, but I was fascinated by the international opportunities at the firm.
What attracted you to a career in HR?
I have always believed that HR can make a huge difference to businesses, but I also felt there was room in the profession for more business-focused HR. My MBA helped me move in that direction.
What key skills do you need to be successful in your current role?
The ability to deliver and understand the business. An international outlook is important as well.
What do you enjoy most about your current job?
Its the commitment of the CEO and the company as a whole to development and talent management.
What do you enjoy least about your job?
The inefficient use of peoples energy, when it is side-tracked by organisational politics.
What has been your greatest achievement in work?
Taking the talent management agenda to the very heart of the organisation.
What is the most important contribution that HR can make to a business?
The effective use of people, plus using HR to build quality leadership at the top of the company.
If you werent working for Scottish Power, which company would you most like to work for?
I admire BP for its work on people.
Which business person, outside Scottish Power, do you admire most?
Probably Lord Browne of BP, for the same reason. Hes a rare leader who has worked his way up through the company.
What measures do you use to see how good a job you are doing?
We use a balanced scorecard approach V quantitative and qualitative data.