Our Executive Team
Meet the team who keep the CIPD’s work on track and true to our purpose
Meet the team who keep the CIPD’s work on track and true to our purpose
Our Executive Team supports our board in shaping the CIPD’s strategy. And it’s responsible for our culture, performance and processes. The CIPD is growing, and our day-to-day operations need to remain future-fit.
Our team endeavours to lead by our purpose – championing better work and working lives. This means investing in the changes we advocate, so we can demonstrate good practice and generate the right results for our members, our wider community and our people.
As well as the leaders listed here, several key roles report directly into our Chief Executive and regularly attend leadership meetings: Head of Finance, Head of Strategy Development, Head of Programme Management Office, and Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Interim CEO 8 May – 28 September
Caroline has 30 years’ experience in senior finance, commercial and strategic roles at organisations including Novartis Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland), Cadbury Schweppes, Granada plc and Unilever/Bestfoods (Thailand, Netherlands and the UK). She was Chief Executive of the Association of Corporate Treasurers from 2017 to 2023, and prior to that she was Chief Financial Officer at both the British Council and Save the Children International.
Having sat on many Boards, Caroline is now pursuing a portfolio non-executive director career. She is currently on the boards of VIVID Housing, Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, Guildhall School Trust and TreasurySpring. She is also an External Member of the Bank of England SONIA Oversight Committee and Chair of the SONIA Stakeholder Advisory Group.
Caroline is a Fellow of the ICAEW, with an ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting. She recently developed practical leadership courses for Durham University, the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship, and FutureLearn, and has run seminars around the world on leadership and strategic influencing, often with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
DIRECTOR OF LEGAL AND GOVERNANCE, AND INSTITUTE SECRETARY
Angela joined the CIPD in September 2019. As part of her role, she is also Company Secretary for the CIPD and our subsidiaries. This includes supporting our Board to ensure proper oversight of the organisation’s activities and compliance with our legal and regulatory obligations. In addition to corporate governance, her teams are responsible for legal and contracting, risk management, procurement and the Code of Professional Conduct and work in support of ethics for our members.
Angela is legally qualified and a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute. She has over 25 years’ company secretarial/senior governance experience across several sectors and organisations, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Financial Conduct Authority. Angela also holds several voluntary governance roles.
DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
David is responsible for developing and executing our digital strategy and supporting technology, as well as ensuring we deliver truly customer and learner-centric learning, qualifications and content with a first-class digital experience.
Before joining the CIPD in 2020, David held a number of roles in global education and publishing organisations, with a focus on large-scale digital transformation and business change programmes.
Director of Profession
David is responsible for growing our membership and ensuring a strong connection with the profession, enabling us to understand how to continually improve our support for our members. Before joining the CIPD, David worked as an independent consultant, having held previous roles across a range of financial services and retail organisations.
Described as one of the UK’s most influential HR and workplace commentators, David is a respected and in-demand speaker and writer on progressive HR and business practice. He has expertise in a wide range of areas, including organisational development and culture, learning and development, corporate ethics, employee engagement and the future of work.
David is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, the Australian HR Institute, the Centre for Evidence-Based Management and a Fellow and Trustee Board Member of the Royal Society of Arts.
Finance Director
Helen joined the CIPD in October 2023 and leads our Finance division. She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales.
With a career spanning more than 20 years in Finance, Helen’s experience covers a broad range of industries including the National Audit Office and PKF where she worked on financial controls and reporting for government bodies, charities, and private companies.
For the last 10 years Helen has led finance teams and strategy for global tech companies, media agencies and private equity-backed scale-ups, successfully growing businesses in the UK, Europe, US and Africa. Helen’s approach to financial growth has always been people-centred and she is passionate about using business growth and profitability as an active and sustainable force for good in society.
Helen is an active supporter of the UK startup and scale-up communities, running financial growth workshops for the British Library, a national bank, and female entrepreneurs’ programs.
People and Change Director
Lisa is responsible for developing and implementing our People and Change strategy. She has more than 30 years of experience in senior HR roles across multiple sectors and has been a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD since 2017. She has held several senior executive roles, including CHRO for Bestway Healthcare, Group People Director at Anchor, Executive Director of People at AQA, and most recently Group People Director for DFS. Lisa has a strong track record in shaping organisational culture, leading transformational change, and demonstrating the commercial impact of high-performing People functions.
Lisa has also served as a Governor at a local high school for the past six years, contributing her expertise to support strategic leadership and positive student outcomes.
Director of Professional Development
Victoria has overall responsibility for our professional standards and membership framework. She leads both the design and development of our professional standards and CPD, assessment and qualifications strategy. She’s responsible for ensuring that our professional designations and qualifications are of the highest standard and quality.
Victoria joined the CIPD in 2003, initially leading research in the field of learning, development and talent management. Before this she held a number of roles across the charity and publishing sectors, with a focus on learning and professional skills development. Victoria is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.
Learn more about our leadership and governance
Meet the CIPD board. Discover what we’ve delivered this year for our members and our wider community. And learn more about our structure, governance and commitments.
How our structure, governance and leadership keep our charitable and business activities responsible, accountable, sustainable and transparent
