Human Resources

The Engaged University: Issues and Action:

This is a group of human resources staff.

The starting question for this group is:

How do work practices, performance management systems, appraisal, recruitment and promotion systems, and related, need to change to support public engagement? What (if any) constraints or opportunities exist to support this change?

This group is open and welcomes others from university HR departments who'd like to participate. The group has had its inaugural meeting in May.

To discuss the work of this group, or any aspect of the Action Research Programme, please contact Heather Squires. 

Members of the AR Senior Human Resources group:

Ian Apperley  is the Human Resources Director at the University of West of England and Ian has 16 years experience working in human resources at national and regional levels. He has spent the past 6 years as Head of Human Resources at the Greater London Authority where he was responsible for developing new initiatives to boost employment opportunities for women, disabled people, and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. The GLA was one of the first organisations to reach level 5 of the Equality Standard for Local Government, and was recently voted top diversity employer in a recent Guardian survey.

Lesley Broughton is Deputy HR Director for Cranfield University, with operational responsibility for employee relations, diversity, recruitment and talent management, policy development, as well as pay, reward and employee engagement.   Having studied occupational psychology at Birkbeck, she became a chartered psychologist with a keen interest in wellbeing at work and the links to business performance.  This interest led to her becoming co-founder of Mindfulness4life, an organisation aimed at supporting emotional wellbeing.

Karen Conway

Susan Field has spent 20 years working in senior positions within Human Resources in the Higher Education sector -she is currently Head of Human Resources, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Manchester combining delivery of strategic objectives with leading an operational team. Susan has experience facilitating and managing diversity strategies in an HE environment, including positive action initiatives. She is Director on the Charity Board of SETA (Stockport Engineering Training Association), , is an Associate Member of ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators), and is an accredited Mediator. Susan holds an MSc in Organisational Psychology.

Eilidh Fraser is Deputy Director of HR at the University of Edinburgh.  She graduated with an MA in Economics, then completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management.  Following briefly working in Jobcentres and the NHS, she has had a career in HR in Higher Education, working for Teesside and Heriot-Watt Universities and, since 1999, for the University of Edinburgh.  In addition to a broad HR background, she has particular experience in employee relations, policy development and reward, and chaired the Scottish and Northern Irish Reward Modernisation Network from 2005-7.  Eilidh currently leads employee relations, equality and diversity, policy and systems development in Corporate HR in the University of Edinburgh, as well as overseeing the Staff Counselling Service.  She chairs the University's Gender Equality Scheme group and represents HR across a wide range of internal and external activities.  Eilidh is also a Director of the First Scottish Universities Credit Union.

Geoff Lang (UCL)

Clare Martlew (University of Nottingham )

Julie McClelland started her varied career teaching in an east London comprehensive school but after seven years moved into local government, focusing on personnel management following a brief spell with property and finance.  She spent several years leading the Schools' personnel services in a north London authority before moving into higher education.  Julie joined York St John as Director of Personnel in 1998, moving to Huddersfield University as Director of HR in 2003.  Her main responsibilities are the strategic planning of Human Resources for the University covering Staff Development, Occupational Health, Pay and Personnel.  Julie is a member of the University's Senior Management Team.  She is a Fellow of the CIPD and holds a LLM in Employment Law.