HRMI 2019: Rupert McNeil tops list of influential practitioners

This article was published via HR Magazine on 17 September 2019. A link to the original article can be found here.

HR magazine unveiled its 2019 Most Influential rankings at an exclusive event at Claridge’s last night

The HR Most Influential (HRMI) rankings, in partnership with LifeSight, recognise the HR practitioners and thinkers pushing people strategy forward. HR Most Influential is now in its 14^th year.

In his speech as part of the presentation unveiling this year’s top three practitioners and thinkers, senior director at Willis Towers Watson (parent company of LifeSight) Milan Makhecha said: “As the UK faces increasing uncertainty there can be no doubt about the importance of the role that HR will play. We are proud to be working with HR magazine for HR Most Influential, which recognises outstanding contributions in the profession.”

Government chief people officer Rupert McNeil was revealed as this year’s most influential practitioner. McNeil was recognised for “exerting soft influence” while remaining “incredibly innovative” within the organisation, said HR magazine editor Jenny Roper, speaking at the event.

“[This is] an HRD who is undeniably, of all UK HR practitioners, the most at the centre of and affected by Brexit uncertainty, and who epitomises the need for HRDs to exert a steady stabilising influence through tough times,” she said.

“This person is a great example of an HR director exerting soft influence, achieving incredible amounts even though they don’t have a formal HR mandate over some parts of their organisation… Yet for all their calming influence this HRD is still being incredibly innovative – something no doubt enhanced by their cross-sector experience.”

Martin Tiplady, CEO of Chameleon People Solutions and one of the panellists helping to compile the practitioner rankings each year, accepted the award on McNeil’s behalf.

“What a great role model Rupert is in this sector – talking to whoever will listen, talking about all that is great in HR,” he said. “And from personal experience I know there is no more difficult climate than there is at the moment [in the Civil Service]… He undoubtedly holds the hottest seat in HR today, and he holds it with grace, with skill, and with aplomb in the way that he goes about his work. He is as good as it gets.”

In second place was Sally Austin, former HR director at Costain and now group HRD at Wincanton. Austin was commended as a brilliant role model for other women operating in male-dominated sectors, and for her impressive work elevating HR to a strategic level at her former business. “I think you can tell how surprised I am. As many of you know, I have left Costain after a wonderful 14 years; I’d like to thank everyone I have worked with. I am absolutely thrilled,” she said.

Group HR director at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank Kate Guthrie was ranked as the third most influential practitioner, in recognition for her work supporting the successful acquisition of Virgin Money in October 2018 – one of most complex organisational changes in UK financial services in the past few years. “This isn’t for me, this is for all my team and for everyone I have worked with in my time at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank. Thank you,” Guthrie said.

Valerie Hughes-D’Aeth, outgoing group HRD at the BBC, joined the HR Most Influential Hall of Fame. Hughes-D’Aeth was praised for her achievements on cost saving, restructuring and gender pay despite facing intense media scrutiny over her five-year tenure, with this year a fitting time to be awarded the accolade following her announcement that she will leave the BBC at the end of 2019 to pursue a portfolio career.

Hughes D’Aeth said: “It’s been a fantastic experience, and I hope that it [the BBC] is in a better place than it was when I joined. It’s time that I spent a bit more time with my family. I’m sure I’ll still be up to a lot of different things, but for me the focus is now to have some more balance. It’s a real privilege and I’m thrilled.”

Here are the HR Most Influential 2019 top 40 practitioners:

1	Rupert McNeil	Chief people officer	Government
2	Sally Austin	Group HR director	Wincanton
3	Kate Guthrie	Group HR director	Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank
4	Ann Pickering	HR director	O2 (Telefónica UK)
5	Leena Nair	Chief HR officer	Unilever
6	Eugenio Pirri	Chief people and culture officer	Dorchester Collection
7	Mandy Coalter	Former director of people	United Learning
8	Simon Linares	HR director	Direct Line
9	Jabbar Sardar	HR director	BBC Studios
10	Siobhán Sheridan	Chief people director	Ministry of Defence
11	Baljinder Kang	Executive director of people services	Midland Heart
12	Andrew Dodman	Chief officer of HR	Leeds City Council
13	Danny Harmer	Chief people officer	Metro Bank
14	Neil Morrison	Director of HR	Severn Trent
15	Natalie Bickford	Group HR director	Merlin Entertainments Group
16	Rachel Brace	HR director	Football Association
17	Emma Rose	HR director	Kerry Foods
18	Jane Storm	Chief people officer	Saga Group
19	Ella Bennett	Group people director	Easyjet
20	Karen Shepperson	Director of people and operations	Ofsted
21	Kathryn Austin	Chief people and marketing director	Pizza Hut Restaurants
22	Danny Mortimer	Chief executive	NHS Employers
23	Debbie Alder	Director general, people and capability	Department for Work and Pensions
24	Louise Smalley	Group HR director	Whitbread
25	Shokat Lal	Assistant chief executive	Rotherham Council
26	Kathryn Pritchard	Chief HR officer	Nord Anglia Education
27	Annette Andrews	Chief people officer	Lloyd’s of London
28	Carol Kavanagh	Group HR director	Travis Perkins Group
29	Claire Gore	Director of HR and OD	London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
30	Des Pullen	Group HR director	Associated British Foods
31	Harvey Francis	Executive vice president	Skanska UK
32	David Frost	Group organisational development director	Total Produce
33	Paula Jordan	Group HR director	McCarthy & Stone
34	Jon Dawson	Director of HR	Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London & One Hyde Park Residences
35	Helen Webb	Chief people and services officer	Co-op
36	Alison Rumsey	Chief HR officer	Associated British Ports
37	Tim Jones	Group head of HR	London Stock Exchange
38	Deborah Lee	Group engagement director	Compass Group
39	Geoff Tranfield	Group HR director	IMI
40	Will Serle	Chief people officer	Capita

Visit the HR Most Influential website for all our listed individuals and their profiles.