CV | Carolyn Murray, Lannair

I am often asked for a CV when I speak to clients about HR and OD work, so I thought I'd post it here...

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MY CV

CAROLYN MURRAY

Mobile: +44 7799 778 105

Carolyn Murray is highly experienced HR and OD Professional who has proactively led initiatives to improve organisational

performance and foster the contribution of employees.

She has worked at a senior level in both the public and private sector, unionised and non-unionised environments and across a

variety of industries. She is extremely flexible, resilient and creative in the face of challenges and comfortable working in ambiguity.

The positions she has held have required creating, developing and implementing change management activities in multi-site, multi-disciplinary environments and have led to increased profitability, increased employee engagement and the achievement of cultural, strategic and operational goals.

She has successfully redesigned and turned around under-performing HR and OD functions into highly engaged and effective teams whose activities are aligned with the organisational purpose and strategic direction.

Carolyn is skilled in using diagnostic tools such as culture and engagement surveys (Denison, Best Companies, ORC, Capita), psychometrics (SHL OPQ, MBTI, HBDI), facilitated focus groups, 360 assessment (Compass, Real World TLQ), Neuro Linguistic Programming (Master Practitioner and Trainer), structured interviews and various OD tools. She is also firm that a diagnostic is of no value unless interpreted clearly and used to create credible impactful actions.

Carolyn has delivered numerous leadership and staff development events, interventions and programmes often co-creating the programmes with stakeholders. She loves working collaboratively creating opportunities to develop talent, particularly undiscovered talent. She has a natural coaching style that encourages people to deliver beyond their expectations.

As an HR leader she has also recruited talent at all levels; designed performance processes, managed people performance directly and supported other leaders to manage the performance of their people; designed and implemented reward programmes; successfully negotiated contractual, structural and operational changes with unions; restructured teams, functions and entire organisations ensuring that the people affected are treated fairly, respectfully and with dignity; led the people aspects of mergers and acquisitions; implemented new HR , Payroll and related IT systems; and, competently dealt with the myriad of challenges that cultural, operational and people change throws up.

RELEVANT QUALIFICATIONS

Carolyn is a Chartered Fellow of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She holds a BA in Business Studies from Robert Gordon University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management from Napier University. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Coaching and Leadership Mentoring and is a recognised NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer (Sue Knight trained and Association of NLP recognised).

EMPLOYMENT RECORD

Lannair Ltd

Independent Consultant, Trainer and Executive Coach Apr 2018 – present

Carolyn founded Lannair Ltd in 2018 to deliver HR and OD Consultancy, Coaching and NLP Training. Her coaching clients typically work in or lead Universities, Financial Services, Charities or SME businesses. She also provides HR and OD consulting and she delivers NLP training programmes, usually with Sue Knight or Anna Bell and sometimes on her own.

University of Glasgow

Interim Head of OD and Change Aug 2018 – Oct 2019

Carolyn was approached by the Executive Director of HR to lead the Employee and Organisation Development team as it had lost direction and purpose. She worked with the team and wider University to create and instigate an, “EOD Roadmap,” Leadership Strategy and University Staff Engagement Action Plan endorsed and sponsored by the Executive Team.

University of the West of Scotland

Director of People and OD Jan 2014 – Apr 2018

A strategic role to work with the University Leadership to reshape the structure, culture and focus of the People and OD team and wider University. In 2014 UWS was considered one of the lowest ranking Universities in the UK. It was unranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings and faced a landscape of highly complex challenges. After she left, Carolyn received an email from the Vice Chancellor crediting the role she and her team had played in the achievement of a joint 48th out of 98 Universities in THE Rankings 2018, the highest placed post 92 University in Scotland.

Edinburgh College (Formerly Jewel & Esk College)

Director of OD and Communications Oct 2012 – Jul 2013

Director of HR and OD Mar 2008 – Oct 2012

Carolyn was a key member of the Executive team that led the merger of Jewel & Esk College, Stevenson College Edinburgh and Edinburgh’s Telford College to form Edinburgh College. She led consultations and negotiations with the recognised Unions; worked with the Principal to formulate and delver an extensive communications programme including all staff events to build engagement with the new College; and created and implemented effective HR, OD, L&D and Student Support strategic plans to deliver the College Corporate plan. Prior to merger she led two significant restructures that reduced management costs by 40%, streamlined service areas and improved efficiency. Post-merger, she led the process to design the new Edinburgh College leadership, management and promoted posts structure and appoint all positions within 9 months of vesting.

HarperCollins Publishers UK

Head of HR UK Sep 2005 – Dec 2007

Head of HR Glasgow Sep 2000 – Sep 2005

Initially Carolyn’s role was to revitalise an underperforming department and establish best practice HR policies, practices, processes and procedures to enable the HR team in Glasgow to become strategic, business partners. A revamp of the reward practices and policies followed with the introduction of Flexible Benefits all employees. Achieving buy-in from the Unions and staff to close the final salary pension scheme, Carolyn introduced a replacement stakeholder scheme and a reduction in redundancy terms; and was instrumental in transferring the pension administration resulting in financial savings, slicker organisation and a reduction in known data discrepancies and omissions from in excess of 25,000 to less than 500. During the latter two years Carolyn supported an employee driven Company-wide culture change programme (Your HC) that had profound impact on the culture of the Company.

Russell Europe

Head of HR – Europe Nov 1998 – Sep 2000

Manager - HR and Health & Safety Sep 1997 – Nov 1998

HR Manager Jul 1995 – Sep 1997

Snr HR Officer Jul 1994 – Jul 1995

Personnel Officer Jul 1992 – Jul 1994

Carolyn was approached to join Russell and was steadily promoted over her 8 years there to become the youngest member of the Senior Management Team, responsible for the European HR function, reporting to the VP Russell International. Carolyn championed HR and OD initiatives and programmes, including the introduction of balanced scorecard, continuous improvement, Kouzes Posner leadership challenge and Lean to achieve efficiency and quality improvements. She utilised the implementation of new systems to improve both staff and customer experience resulting in measurably improved staff engagement and customer satisfaction. She also successfully co-led with the Head of Manufacturing Europe a company-wide reorganisation and restructure transitioning Russell Europe from an in-house manufacturing and production led organisation to a market driven, customer focussed outsourcing organisation.

Mitsubishi Electric UK Ltd

Personnel Officer Jun 1990 – Jul 1992

Personnel Advisor May 1988 – Jun 1990

An entry level graduate role within a start-up facility, Mitsubishi opened its first factory in Livingston in early 1988 with a headcount of just under 100. Carolyn was responsible for the recruitment, induction and development of all staff. After two years she was promoted to her first supervisory role and the headcount had grown to just over 1000.