To support the recent and ongoing Winn Group recruitment drive thanks to successful company growth, there has been an associated increase in new faces within the HR Team.
As we welcome them to Winn Group, here is everything you need to know about our Human Resources Department:
Laura Todd – Group HR Manager
Laura joins the team having worked in HR in a variety of roles and sectors from retail and financial services, to estate agency, for over 12 years. Laura’s key role is to support the Head of HR with the day-to-day running and management of the HR Department and provide an HR and recruitment service to managers and employees across Winn Group.
Laura was delighted to get the role;
“I was attracted to the role because I wanted to experience a different sector and the development opportunities that come alongside that. I am looking forward to working closely with the HR team and to supporting the team’s development, as well as my own, as well as getting to understand the business more.
“I have been very fortunate within my HR career over the years to be given so many wonderful opportunities to develop my HR skillset which I did not expect.”
Sophie Harrison – Group HR Assistant
Sophie Harrison, who graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance and initially worked as an auditor, took the first step to working in a people-focussed role by transitioning into teaching before moving to HR and recruitment when she found she missed working in an office and business environment.
Joining the team as a Group HR Assistant to primarily support the team with recruitment with some HR duties too, Sophie said;
“I feel like I’ve finally found my niche in HR and really enjoy the work that I do. I’m currently learning the HR side of the business and gaining experience in this as I go. I was attracted to the role because of the wide range of HR areas and the amount of experience I could gain as a result.”
On thinking about her first day, she added;
“I had my induction to the business and was made to feel really welcome. Now that I run the inductions, I hope to make people feel equally welcomed and comfortable at the start of their employment journey with us.”
Liam Bleek – Group HR Assistant
Liam is also joining the team as a Group HR Assistant. He studied Business Management at Newcastle University before working for Unilever as a UKI Learning Coordinator and Future Careers Team Member as well as working on the sales team for Smile Fundraising.
Liam’s role involves a mixture of general recruitment and HR. He will also hold responsibility for dealing with absence management.
Attracted to the role by the opportunity to develop skills within recruitment, Liam told us about what he likes most;
“Speaking to candidates during screening and possessing the autonomy to judge them as a possible employee is great.”
Alice Longstaff – Group HR Administrator
The latest new addition to the team is Alice Longstaff, who joins as Group HR Administrator having worked as an administrator in a care home in Sunderland for the past four years where she completed her Level 3 NVQ in Business and Administration.
Alice will work closely to process newly employed staff, monitor staff absence, sickness and holidays, and keep on top of the daily administration tasks.
Alice commented;
“I was ready to try something new and from the HR administrator job description, I knew I had the transferrable skills to succeed within Winn Group.
“So far, I am really enjoying working within a friendly, supportive team.”
Group Head of HR, Colette Gardner, welcomed the new members of the team who have already shown their value saying;
“Thank you to our new HR team members for their responsiveness and support through a very busy period. Our team now has strong balance of individual skills and experience in readiness for the continuing company growth.”
A warm welcome to Winn Group to you all!