My journey from apprentice to the boardroom

About this event

Join Mark Hendy as he shares insights from his HR journey, key achievements, lessons learned and his vision for the future of HR.

Mark Hendy is a self-proclaimed HR enthusiast who "accidentally" found his way into the profession 23 years ago. His journey began as an HR apprentice at what is now Tata Steel, in a division of the company that had over 5,000 direct employees across a diverse range of specialisms and careers. It was there that Mark discovered the profound impact of effective HR on organisational performance. Climbing the ranks, he had the privilege of learning from some of the most respected figures in the field.

Over the years, Mark’s career has spanned multiple industries, including mining, healthcare, aerospace, and waste management. In 2022, he joined Siderise, where he was promoted to Chief HR Officer in 2023—a C-suite, board-level role that also made him an executive director of the organisation.

As a senior HR generalist, who often underpins his approach through the use of ‘evidence-based management’ Mark specialises in mergers and acquisitions, employee and industrial relations (particularly in unionised environments), and organisational culture. He is a firm believer that great HR drives positive employee performance and is deeply passionate about authenticity and lifelong learning. In this talk, Mark will share insights from his career—including his key achievements, the lessons learned from his mistakes, and his vision for the future of the HR profession.

Audience: Students and People professionals in the early stages of their careers.

Speakers bio:

Mark Hendy is an accomplished HR professional with over two decades of experience working with some of the UK’s largest businesses, both domestically and internationally. He began his career as an HR Apprentice at what is now Tata Steel before taking on key roles across various industries, including mining, healthcare, aerospace, and recycling.

In 2023, he was appointed Chief HR Officer and Executive Director at Siderise, a leading construction products manufacturer. Under his leadership, Siderise was recognized in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2024 and, in 2025, became the only construction products manufacturer featured in Building Magazine’s Good Employer Guide.

While Mark is a generalist senior HR professional, he has developed expertise in employee relations, unionized environments, mergers and acquisitions, and, more recently, organizational culture.

Connect with us for the latest news and events:

The CIPD in Wales website here

Eventbrite page here

LinkedIn page here

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Claire Reardon on Claire.reardon@cipd.co.uk

Please note:

1. Webinar joining instructions will be sent to you again 1 day before the event, with a further reminder 20 minutes prior to the event starting.
2. The session may be recorded and shared with people afterwards. Please bear this in mind and have your camera off if you do not wish for your image to be shared.
3. The chat function will be used for participants to engage with the webinar, so just be mindful of the login name you use and ensure you are happy for other people to see this.
4. For security reasons, it is requested that participants join the live session 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and with the same name as registered on Eventbrite - not doing so may cause a delay or non-admittance to the event.
5. This event may include an external speaker who has prepared their own presentation. Any views or opinions expressed by the speaker are their own and do not reflect those of the CIPD.
6. Please note that refunds for CIPD Non-Member tickets will only be available until 7 days prior to the event, any cancelled tickets after this will not receive a refund.
7. If you require any reasonable adjustments to enhance your experience, please get in contact with us by responding to this email and we will do our best to accommodate