Member Article

CIPHR appoints Claire Williams as first head of people

Leading UK HR and recruitment software provider CIPHR has appointed Claire Williams MCIPD as its head of people. Williams will oversee the further development of CIPHR’s HR function into a strategic force in the business, with a specific focus on organisational culture, talent management, and learning and development.

Commenting on Williams’ appointment, Chris Berry, CEO at CIPHR, said: “People are at the heart of what we do here at CIPHR, and we want to make sure that we are investing in them in order to meet our business objectives. CIPHR has grown rapidly during the past few years, and will continue to do so; by May 2019, our organisation will have doubled in employee size in just three years. This means that the time was right for us to evolve our existing HR function to have a stronger focus on HR strategy, organisational culture, talent management, and learning and development.

“We are delighted that Claire will be our first-ever head of people, and ensure that we have a highly engaged, high-performing workforce that is brilliantly equipped to support our clients.”

Williams has more than 12 years’ experience in HR, both in-house and consultancy roles, including at publisher Parragon Books, and fine wine storage company Octavian. She ran her own HR firm, Ten to Five Consultancy, for three years, and worked as a consultant at citrusHR. Williams joined CIPHR in March 2018 as a senior HR systems consultant, leading a review into the company’s consultancy offering to clients. She will head up CIPHR’s strategic HR consultancy function alongside her role as head of people. Williams is also a trustee and director of Bath City Farm and is currently serving as its chair of trustees.

“Combining the two roles of head of people and head of strategic HR consultancy means I will be in ideal position to offer strategic support and advice to CIPHR customers,” she said. “For me, it’s essential that our consultants are actively involved in day-to-day HR so they can best support our customers; by continuing to work as a strategic HR professional, I will be better equipped to advise customers about current trends and suitable solutions for the pain points in their organisations.

“Similarly, working in our consultancy practice gives me fantastic exposure to the business, so I will have a great understanding of what CIPHR staff are experiencing – of any barriers affecting their jobs, the highs and the lows, and the day-to-day work. That genuine understanding will only benefit the business when I’m implementing initiatives.”

Williams added: “I’m really excited to get stuck in, build on the existing successes of our fantastic HR function, and take CIPHR’s HR practice to the next strategic level.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Cathryn Newbery .