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Carol Sommerville has been appointed as Compass Group UK & Ireland’s new Chief People Officer (CPO), with immediate effect.
Sommerville joins the business from Watchfinder, a luxury pre-owned watch specialist business, part of Richemont Group, where she was Global HR Director. Prior to this she held senior HR roles at Net-a-Porter and began her career at BT, where she worked as HR Director for the Openreach Service Centres, Director of Meritocracy BT Group and Vice President of HR EMEA within BT Global Services. In these positions she has gained a wealth of HR experience across various industries and has a commitment to developing and investing in people, as well as creating an inclusive culture.
In her new role, Sommerville will be responsible for delivering the company’s ‘Our Social Promise’ – a commitment to support a million people with opportunities and change their lives through job creation, education, training, community and charitable engagement by 2030.
Sommerville said of her new appointment: “Compass has a clear and ambitious people agenda, having taken market leading positions in areas including apprenticeships, career pathways and the ED&I agenda. I am excited to have joined the business and have received such a warm welcome. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of our frontline teams as part of my induction and have been really impressed by people’s passion for their jobs and clients, and the caring culture that is in place. I am looking forward to supporting the company’s ongoing commitment to its people and creating a welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.”
Robin Mills, CEO Compass Group UK & Ireland, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Carol to the Compass family. We are a people business – so this role is critical for the continued success of our organisation. We know as a large employer we have the ability to improve lives and make a difference. Carol is going to be integral to continuing to develop our people-centred culture as we continue to grow and evolve in the coming years.”
