Associate - Liz Taylor

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Liz Taylor, FCIPD

Background

Liz Taylor is commercially oriented with a strong results focus. She is an experienced international HR generalist with a track record of working effectively across borders and cultures in Europe, USA and Asia. Personal credibility is based on integrity and close working relationships with local business leaders. Comfortable with responsibility, she welcomes any HR project requiring a fresh, pragmatic perspective in challenging times.

Liz’s strengths are:

	Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
	Proven ability in creating and developing new teams
	R-designing business structures to realise growth potential.

Liz commenced her career in high street retail as a graduate trainee with BhS and was quickly promoted to Commercial Manager. Moving to Habitat as Department Manager, Liz then joined their new store openings team and subsequently developed a career in training, resulting in promotion to Training Manager.

Changing industry sectors, Liz joined Scottish & Newcastle plc as Training Development Manager, Welcome Inns (pubs in Scotland). Further promotions to the newly created S&N Retail resulted in Liz becoming Management Training Manager and then Management Development Manager, before taking responsibility for Executive Management Development at Group level for S&N plc. She was appointed HR Director, S&N International in 2000 and HR Director, S&N Venture Markets in 2004.

While with S&N, Liz twice attended company programmes at IMD Switzerland, the S&N Senior Management Programme and the S&N Driving Change Programme.

In 2008, having successfully managed Venture Markets’ transfer to Carlsberg and Heineken - a £100m turnover business, 220 people, with significant cost savings and morale maintained during the 6 month transition - Liz left to establish a consulting career.

HR Leadership

	Recruited high calibre, culturally diverse senior teams in market to help start-up businesses flourish
	Effectively integrated S&N Group policies in market and designed reward policies to match business needs
	Worked closely with local MDs and coached junior team members to ensure people best practice
	Encouraged a leadership style to increase employee involvement – Venture Markets consistently had the highest response rate and results in the S&N Employee Survey
	Ensured local employment laws respected without compromising S&N values, such as reward for performance

Training & Development

	Co-developed S&N’s performance management process (PDP - Performance, Development, Potential)
	Co-designed S&N’s International Graduate Programme, actively promoting the trainees across S&N and sought out as a mentor for their career progression
	Designed and ran various selection centres, all with line manager involvement
	Experienced in the design and development of behavioural and functional competency frameworks
	Designed and delivered a range of development programmes (National Training Award 1992 – Retail Development Programme, pubs)

Change Management / Transition

	Planned and implemented international restructures and integrations, resulting in cost savings and improved business efficiency
	Influenced and aligned local MDs on changes required to support S&N strategic direction, identifying tactical solutions as required
	Ensured the successful adoption of matrix structures after a long period of Operating Company independence
	Designed and introduced communication processes focused on employee commitment during times of significant change

Commercial Focus

	Accepted as a full member of country management teams, contributing to strategic planning
	Worked closely with local MDs to resolve people issues decisively, resulting in annual savings up to £100K
	Managed £500K annual budget with commercial realities in mind, outsourcing non-core activities and up-skilling internal resource to reduce external consultancy fees
	Regularly met customers to understand their businesses, promoting the Venture Markets’ aim to add value

Other Activities

	Active Committee member for the IMD Alumni Club in Scotland
	Current Associate of Napier University’s HR Academy, providing business input to faculty programmes
	Past Chair of the Chartered Institute for Personnel & Development (CIPD) in Lothian and the Borders.