Brexit & HR Summit 2018

CHAIR – Tim Thomas, Director Employment, Regulation and Skills Policy, EEF

Tim qualified as a Solicitor in 1994, and immediately prior to joining EEF worked for an Employer Association in the security sector. There he was responsible for providing advice on policy and legal issues to a wide range of large, multi-national corporations, delivering specific projects in addition to membership services.  

He maintained a strong presence in Brussels, working closely with the relevant employer’s European sectorial organisation and worked closely with a range of Governmental departments, notably the Home Office, successful delivering a series joint programmes with the Association’s members.

Tim is EEF’s Director of Employment and Skills policy, with responsibility for EEF’s engagement with Government and Parliament all areas of employment and migration policy in the UK and the EU. His legal expertise has positioned him as a go-to person for Members of the European Parliament, with a comprehensive network of European and UK legal, political and business contacts and detailed knowledge of the EU’s future regulatory arrangements for mobile workers. He is regularly called upon to address and advise MPs, MEPs and Peers, representing EEF with UK Ministers and a trusted source for the same. He sits on a series of exclusive, influential, governmental advisory groups dealing with the UK’s exit.

Mark Stewart, General Manager and Human Resources Director, Airbus Group UK

Mark became Human Resources Director of Airbus UK in April 2001 after having previously been Head of HR for Airbus UK Manufacturing and the Wing and Pylon Centre for Excellence in France and Germany.

After completing his Honours Degree in Industrial Relations and a Postgraduate Diploma in Personnel Management in 1985 from the University of Strathclyde, Mark joined British Aerospace’s Commercial Aircraft business at Prestwick as a Personnel Officer. Mark is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

During his time at Prestwick, Mark held a variety of roles including Employee Relations Manager, before being appointed as Head of HR in 1995 for the newly created Aerostructures Division. Following this Mark joined Royal Ordnance and held a number of roles before joining Airbus in 1999.

Mark is also a member and chair of various bodies e.g. Non Exec Director SEMTA, Aerospace Growth Partnership Steering Committee, chairman of the Aerospace Growth Partnership Skills Group, chairman of the SEMTA Remuneration and Benefits Committee, Member of the ADS (Aerospace Defence and Security Industries) Commercial Aircraft Board, Trustee of BAE Systems Pensions Scheme, Chairman of the BAE Systems Pensions Audit Committee, Member of the Air Business Academy and a Director of NavBlue.

Jim Fanshawe MIEx CPD, Director and Founder, Your Export Department Ltd, Voluntary Ambassador – Brexit at IoD Suffolk Branch

Jim studied European Business Administration at University after the Single Market was completed with the ‘four freedoms’ of: movement of goods, services, people and money.

After his course, he went on to pursue a career in international business which included taking positions managing international supply chains and global sales channels, being part of overseas joint ventures and focusing on extensive global international business development.

Jim founded his own business called Your Export Department which acts as a sub-contract export department.

Karen Rayfield, Director of People & Performance, Helping Hands Home Care

Karen is Director of People & Performance at Helping Hands Home Care, a national home care provider and Glassdoor’s 22^nd Best Place to Work 2018. As a values-driven family-run business, Helping Hands enables adults of all ages, living with many different health conditions, to live independently at home.

An experienced HR professional, Karen has worked across the health and social care, hospitality, FMCG and retail sectors. Since 1994 she has held senior and director-level positions at Plumbworld, Primafruit, Bass Leisure Retail and TK Maxx.

Dimitris Tsouroplis, Group Head of HR, Libra Group

Dimitris Tsouroplis, joined the Libra Group in 2012 as Group Head of Human Resources, based in London and New York.

Prior to that, he held senior managerial positions in HR for several multinational companies including BP, The Coca-Cola Company and Vodafone. He has wide-ranging international experience throughout Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East, with particular expertise in rewards, resourcing, talent management and M&A/Restructurings considerations.

Dimitris began his career with BP Exploration in Aberdeen and continued with BP Hellas, Panafon, The Coca-Cola Company Southeast Europe & Middle East Division and Vodafone. At Vodafone he became Head of Human Resourcing (Greece) and latterly Group Head of Resourcing, based in London. Dimitris has studied Business Management and Economics and holds a postgraduate degree in Human Resources from Aberdeen and IMD University.

Alan Kennedy, Associate, Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP

Alan Kennedy is an Associate in the Employment Team at transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson. He advises clients from a broad range of sectors including in Education, Charity, Transport and Public Sector on complex employment matters, including large scale redundancies and reorganisations, changes to terms and conditions and dealing with senior executive disputes.

Alan also has a strong track record of dealing with complex tribunal claims and has successfully defended claims on behalf of employers involving allegations of unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing. He also provides corporate immigration advice, acting for both UK and overseas clients on complex immigration issues.

Alan regularly presents seminars and workshops to clients on all areas of Employment law and also provides bespoke in-house training to HR advisors, directors and senior managers.

Diana Moise, Associate, Public International Law Advisory Group

Diana Moise is an experienced legal researcher, with expertise in international economic law, international commercial litigation and international arbitration. Diana is also a Brexit Research Officer at the European Institute of University College London. On the advisory side, her work was used to support businesses preparing for Brexit. Ms Moise has conducted extensive research on European Union law, and Chinese trade and investment framework, including on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Ms Moise holds degrees from University College London (LL.M.) and West University of Timisoara, Romania (LL.B.).

Gerwyn Davies, Senior Labour Market Analyst, CIPD

Gerwyn is the CIPD’s Senior Labour Market Analyst covering a wide range of labour market issues including migration, pay and employment. 

He has previously published work on migration including ‘Facing the Future: tackling post-Brexit labour and skills shortages’ (2017) and ‘The growth of EU labour: assessing the impact on the UK labour market’ (2014) and he also authors the institute’s highly influential quarterly ‘Labour Market Outlook’ report.

Gerwyn is a national media commentator specialising on the labour market, employment trends, HRM and related public policy issues.  He is also a member of various government working groups, including the Home Office’s primary EU Immigration employers’ representative group.