Just what do the UK’s leading senior HR directors want to change in the year ahead? Find out below…

Ann Pickering

HR Director, O2

“My New Year’s resolution for 2016 is to encourage tech companies to do more to inspire young women to pursue a career in STEM.

Whilst progress has undoubtedly been made, the reality is there are still not enough young women choosing careers in in these fields. As a woman on the board of a tech company, it’s an issue which is particularly close to my heart.

I firmly believe that if we are to get more young women into tech, business leaders need to take responsibility for showing how many exciting opportunities are out there.

Simple measures can make a big difference. Schools and businesses need to work together more frequently to open young women’s eyes to the variety of opportunities which exist in the sector, and encourage them to explore them further.

For instance, I recently visited my home town of Sheffield to speak at Longley Park Academy through Speakers for Schools, who facilitate links between business leaders and schools across the country. I talked to students about the world of tech and the huge variety of roles available to young people like themselves who already possess digital skills in abundance. All it took was an hour – surely we can all manage that?

Whilst I’ll definitely be continuing with my 2015 resolution to run a 10K race in every quarter next year, I really want 2016 to be the year that we go out and meet the next generation of bright young talent that will fuel our future workforce.”

Dr Steven Chase

Director of People, Thames Valley Police

“At the personal level, I continue my leadership journey from transactional and transformational to trustworthy to thoughtful.. Aspiring to create a narrative and organisational climate that inspires innovation and encourages a culture of challenge and curiosity. One where our leaders are trusted and responsive to those around them.

At the HR function level, I would like to hear HR professionals talking more about change, capability, culture and co-production as our added value components rather than technical HR issues.

Organisationally, I remain committed to developing evidence based practice and ensuring that examples of promising practice are shared more widely.”

Jackie Lanham

Group Organisation Development Director, Rexam

“My New Year’s resolution is to build on my coaching experience by gaining ICF (International Coach Federation) accreditation.

Coaching is a fabulous tool to help both individuals and organisations grow, and those of us that coach owe it to those we work with to be the best we can be.

Rexam will be experiencing even more change in 2016 and well developed coaching capabilities will be of enormous benefit in equipping us all to stay resilient and focused  so we can continue to deliver the best performance and ultimately make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead.”