DEBBIE PALMER
Consultant – Mitchell Palmer Ltd
07738 900038
debbie@mitchellpalmer.co.uk
www.mitchellpalmer.co.uk
A senior HR generalist with experience across manufacturing, supply chain, retail, public sector and support service
organizations. Having taken opportunities to work in significant business change projects, has gained international
experience (particularly across Europe and South / Central America) and developed a strong background in employee
engagement and change management in addition to generalist HR Management practice.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Generalist HR & Employment Practice
 Developed HR strategies regionally and locally, ensuring the HR agenda is closely aligned to the business strategy
and that deliverables and measures are clear
 Designed and governed new organisation structures for all functions including manufacturing, supply chain and
support services, at regional (European) and local (factory/country) level
 Implemented new organisation structures across Europe, developing clear roadmaps in collaboration with local
leadership teams, and defining capabilities and behaviours to support new ways of working
 Managed the HR elements of factory closure that resulted in 500 redundancies, from planning through to
implementation, including business review processes, announcements, consultations, redundancy process
definition, redeployment and exit administration
 Delivered annual pay review processes, participated in collective bargaining with union representatives, and
developed bonus scheme information for eligible employees
 Developed end to end performance management processes from strategy cascade to individual performance
review processes
 Managed talent review processes and workshops for managers at all levels
 Developed a partnership approach to relationships with recognised unions, and worked with them to establish
new factory bonus structures, and consulted on organisation and individual changes
 Outsourced a unionised support function to a third party under TUPE regulations
 Managed disciplinary investigations and hearings including a number of gross misconduct matters that
concluded in dismissal and absence management issues.
 Investigated grievance claims and chaired grievance hearings
Facilitation
 Facilitation of ‘Leadership Experience’ workshops internationally – determining business strategy and personal
leadership agendas with business top teams
 Designed and implemented “line of sight” (strategy cascade) workshops for aligned organisational and individual
objective setting
 Developed and facilitated workshops to support strategy development, team building and issue resolution
Coaching
 Provided coaching for change managers on an international systems implementation project across Mexico & UK
 Supported the integration of local supply chains into the hub by facilitating and coaching cross-regional project
team members on change management, organisation design and HR alignment issues
 Provided one to one coaching to deliver 360-degree review feedback and develop personal action plans
 Provided coaching to support assessment centre feedback to candidates, and helped them to prepare
development action plans
Change Management
 Developed change management capability, resource and utilization globally, ensuring availability of a change
toolkit, training interventions, advocacy and support and leading networks / communities of best practice
 Acted as Change Manager consulting on key business projects, delivering change management audits, change
strategies and plans and recommending change interventions
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Designed and delivered of a Change Management strategy and plan for a global project with a pilot
implementation in Mexico
Designed and delivered interventions to develop regional change management awareness and capability
Invited to participate as a key note speaker on change management for an external HR conference (Cyprus)
Employee Engagement
 Redesigned and led the “results to action” process for a global employee opinion survey, delivering business
relevant analysis and providing feedback to senior managers (including Management Board members) and action
planning support to senior leadership teams
 Facilitation of focus groups to clarify survey results – further identifying causes of issues, and working with focus
group representatives to identify solutions and actions
 Led initiatives to realign the leadership and the culture of a small local team transitioning to become a regional
supply chain hub
 Facilitation of focus groups to establish employee opinion, identify causes of concern, and develop action plans
to address
Resourcing & Assessment
 Managed recruitment campaigns from candidate sourcing to selection for specialist hard-to-source roles, senior
managers, graduates and apprentices
 Managed a large scale recruitment campaign in support of a factory expansion
 Responsible for identification and selection of search organisations through formal tender processes
 Designed and implemented assessment centres and other selection approaches, operating as workshop chair,
assessor and coach
 BPS Level A and B certificates in psychometric testing – qualified / experienced in OPQ, SHL Ability Tests, 16PF
and MBTI
 Managed internal recruitment processes and talent management approaches
Career History
 Mitchell Palmer Ltd
o Director / Consultant
 British American Tobacco
o Change & Communications Manager: Global Projects
o Global Organisation Development Manager
o Project Organisation Development Manager, Europe Operations
o HR Manager: Various functions
 Colt International
o Head of HR
 Matra Marconi Space
o Assistant HR Manager
 Pirelli Cables Optical Fibre Manufacture
o Assistant HR Manager
 National Health Service – Portsmouth
o Assistant HR Manager
 Marks and Spencer
o Personnel Management Trainee (industrial placement year)
EDUCATION
 BA (Hons) Business Studies at Bournemouth University
 Post Grad Diploma in Personnel Management at Portsmouth University
BAT INTERNATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMMES ATTENDED
 Leaders for Change
 HR Excellence Programme
 Effective Leadership Programme
OTHER TRAINING
 Consultancy skills training
 Facilitator training for ‘Leading in Change’ workshops
 16PF / OPQ / MBTI qualifications (Level B)
(2011 – present)
(2001 – 2011)
(2010 – 2011)
(2008 – 2010)
(2007 – 2008)
(2001 – 2007)
(2000 – 2001)
(1996 – 2000)
(1995 – 1996)
(1992 – 1995)
(1990 – 1991)
(1992)
(1994)
(2008)
(2006)
(2005)
(2009)
(2009)