Senior HR Professional
Resume:
Rupinder Walia
Senior HR Professional
Contact information: ***************@*****.*** I +44-738*-****** I Rupinder Walia MA, CIPD LinkedIn
Professional Summary
As a seasoned HR professional with extensive expertise in strategic, operational and transactional HR, I have a proven track record of aligning HR policies and programmes with company goals, ACAS guidelines and legislation. With experience across diverse cultures and complex organisations, I excel in promoting diversity and inclusion. My commercial, logical and pragmatic mindset translates strategic vision into actionable objectives and KPIs. Valuing integrity, confidentiality, professionalism and exceptional communication, I balance business needs and employee wellbeing with a proactive, solution-oriented approach.
Key Skills
Data-driven HR insights and analytics HR innovation and optimisation
Organisational growth and transformation Change leadership and management
Strategic HR vision, development and execution Coaching, mentoring and counselling
Workforce alignment and readiness Stakeholder engagement and collaboration
Job design, talent attraction and retention Critical thinking and creativity
Employment conflict resolution and management ER expertise and guidance
Learning design and delivery Persuasion, influence and negotiation skills
Effective communication and interpersonal skills Talent acquisition and assessment
Policy design and implementation Redundancy management and support
Data protection and compliance Agile and flexible
Employee relations and legal knowledge C-level and Senior stakeholder partnership
Diversity, equity and inclusion champion Mental health awareness and support
Key Achievements
Santen Pharmaceuticals Limited
•Identified and rectified 15 salary-impacting errors in Success Factors, ensuring accurate back pay through clear communication and detailed explanations to affected employees
•Successfully took charge of the new pension provider implementation, meeting strict deadlines and aligning it with a
comprehensive communication plan.
•Implemented the new ‘Experience and Development Map’ to the sales team in Puglia, Italy, during an engaging 3-hour training and induction session
•Successfully managed the EMEA HR conference in Athens, Greece, resulting in a cost savings of €6,000
•Successfully navigated the complexity of two outstanding promotions and regrading of three roles, submitting them
for approval after they had been on hold for three months before my arrival.
•Led the Head of Legal-EMEA and Head of Finance-EMEA through a sensitive separation case in collaboration with local legal support, preventing a potential ACAS/tribunal case
•Secured the employment of a long-term temporary employee after discussions with the Head of Medical-EMEA, explaining employer legal obligations
•Educated my line manager, based in Milan, Italy, on UK law and employer legal obligations previously unknown to her
•Averted high-risk employment tribunal cases by guiding the company away from potentially problematic decisions
•Successfully negotiated new compressed hours for four employees, ensuring business continuity and safeguarding
employee rights through comprehensive discussions with line managers
Superhire Props Limited
•Led the HR response to the Covid -19 pandemic, ensuring legal compliance and director support. Revamped the HR function, including policy design, implementation and training.
•Prevented a £12,000 tribunal claim through acas mediation.
Al Futtaim Private
•Led Group Services division to 2nd place with 93% participation rate in the Gallup ‘Q12’ survey for 2012/2013 - a record-breaking achievement in company history.
•Made history as the first woman to join the Gmasco leadership team in its 40-year history.
Education
Mental Health First Aider- MHFA England, London, UK
Associate CIPD – Level 5- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London, UK
Gallup Certified Talent Coach - Gallup, UK
MA – Human Resource Management- Leicester University, Leicester, UK
BA (Honours) – Sociology (2:1) - De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
Career Experience
HR Manager UK & Ireland-Santen Pharmaceuticals Limited, St. Albans, UK- 04/2024-04/2025
•Supported the UK office, UK & Ireland (UK&IE) GM, leadership team and 75 employees based in the UK, EMEA and global roles
•Supported the EMEA Head of HR and wider EMEA HR team on ongoing HR projects and initiatives
•Supported the UK&IE GM in town halls and presented ongoing HR initiatives (pulse surveys, GPTW, talent reviews, reward and recognition to name a few)
•Collaborated with the UK&IE GM and leaders on a regular basis as part of the management team
•Worked closely with my line manager- HR Director West Region. HRBP EMEA
•Provided strategic and legal advice on complex employee issues
•Managed payroll and partnered with third party payroll provider, reviewed and improved the current process
•Completed 2 complex outstanding promotions and regrading of 3 roles
•Managed complex payroll of an expat living/working in Japan
•Managed complex P11D and benefit in kind process and resolved various employee queries with the payroll partner
•Corrected 15 system errors found since I joined in collaboration with the HRIS Manager and Head of Compensation and Benefits
•Rolled out new pension provider across the UK with an extensive communication plan
•Completed recruitment of 3 EMEA roles and 2 global roles in partnership with various recruitment partners
•Supported employee on reapplication of work visa in collaboration with an external partner
•Attended annual sales cycle meeting in York
•Attended the European Glaucoma Society conference in Dublin, Ireland and supported the sales team throughout the event
•Attended EMEA sales conference in Puglia, Italy and supported the UK&IE team throughout the event
•Project managed the HR EMEA conference/event in Athens, Greece with an events partner based in Athens
•Collaborated with Head of Legal-EMEA and Head of Finance-EMEA on a complex separation case
•Provided sound legal advice to senior EMEA leadership in potential disciplinary cases
•Assisted with the global mobility of a Japanese employee for a 2-year assignment in the UK
•Provided strategic input/guidance on sensitive disciplinary cases involving a senior staff member
•Provided strategic input/guidance on sensitive redundancy cases in the UK
•Carried out quarterly budget, headcount and business reviews in collaboration with the Finance Director
•Carried out talent review and succession planning with the UK&IE GM
•Managed the return of 5 new mothers back to work and discussed cases with respective line managers ensuring awareness of employer legal obligations/protected status
•Organised events and celebratory functions in the UK office along with the Office Manager
Head of HR-Curatus Group Limited, London, UK- 02/2023- 09/2023
•Set up the business and corporate services for clients in Financial Investments, Wealth Management and Independent Financial Advisers with the Executive Director and President
•Provided strategic HR support, guidance and direction to the leadership team
•Appointed as a trusted advisor to C-suite
•Analysed trends to provide insights and facilitated decision-making on organisation and people matters
•Established the HR function: HR strategy, HR consulting, employee lifecycle, performance management, employee relations, HR admin: policies, procedures, Compensation & Benefits, and HR software platform
•Performed all operational HR duties- policy review, staff development, employment law etc
•Worked with the Head of Finance and Head of Corporate Strategy
•Coached and advised the Executive Director on legal requirements, latest HR trends, updates, law changes, HR best practice and on all legal requirements in different geographical locations
Private HR Consultant-Independent/Freelance HR Consultancy- Watford, UK, 06/2022 to 01/2023
HR & Training Manager- Sopwell House Hotel- St. Albans, UK, 12/2021 to 07/2022
•Provided strategic and commercial guidance, recommendations and solutions on HR, employee welfare/wellbeing, legal, social and health & safety compliance
•Supported the development and improvement of people-focused processes and tools
•Assessed and addressed leadership developmental needs to retain, develop and motivate their teams
•Worked towards building a professional and reputable HR department
•Supported and partnered with all HODs and provided strategic HR advice and coaching on people matters
•Coached and mentored HODs/ Managers on people capability, employee relations, disciplinary, grievance, performance management, rewards, employee relations, engagement, onboarding and off boarding, learning and development
•Oversaw and managed recruitment of roles across the Hotel, sourcing candidates globally in partnership with global recruitment agencies to ensure widest reach of potential candidates; supported hiring managers and interview panels, managed employee onboarding while ensuring a great candidate experience and operational excellence
•Facilitated an engagement strategy focused on employee experience, motivation and relationship with HODs. Managed employee programmes around connection, wellness, and achievements
•Facilitated and supported HODs to drive diversity, equality and inclusion across the hotel and championing our differences and backgrounds; embedded DEI within all policies, practices and procedures to ensure fairness and transparency for all
•Provided full training and coaching on all DEI initiatives, including workshops, focus groups and one on ones
•Developed and implemented initiatives and procedures that help to build a culture of collaboration, efficiency, and employee satisfaction. Ensured compliance with all local laws and regulations including health and safety, employment practices, immigration, and other workplace guidelines
•Provided weekly HR report/dashboard to SLT: HR metrics such as turnover, workforce bio data, HR cost versus forecast/budget
•Reported in monthly period reviews, Health & Safety reviews and SLT meetings
•Coordinated with external Health & Safety Assessors to complete audits as needed
•Audited and reconciled monthly payroll reporting data with Accounts/payroll
•Supported a workforce of circa 230 with 1 direct report, including 180 FTE and rest casual/zero hour staff
•Created and rolled out annual L&D training schedule including mandatory H&S training, HR workshops and DEI initiatives
HR Manager- Superhire Props Limited – London, UK, 02/2020 to 12/2021
•Reported directly to Owners/ Company Directors. Provided strategic guidance, recommendations and solutions on all matters related to HR, employee welfare/wellbeing, legal, social and H&S compliance
•Created the HR function/department from scratch, delivered and embedded core HR services for the company
•Updated and implemented all HR policies, communications and procedures in line with statutory guidelines and legislation
•Supported and partnered with all department heads on boarding and off boarding procedures
•Managed all companywide recruitment activities: headcount, probation, third party partnerships with payroll provider and recruitment agencies
•Created and managed all employee contracts across all working patterns, ensuring legal and Good Work Plan 2020 compliance
•Managed the payroll process every month in partnership with third party provider to ensure payroll accuracy
•Partnered and consulted with external counsel: ACAS, HMRC, CIPD, Croner, XpertHR to ensure people practice compliance
•Created and updated Covid-19 policy, risk assessments and H&S requirements as per the changing pandemic environment
•Managed employee expectation, wellbeing and concerns during the furlough period from March 2020 until October 2020
•Managed all employee health, mental wellbeing issues and handled sensitive redundancy cases as a Mental Health First Aider
•Handled delicate cases of staff layoffs in July 2020, after the lockdown and furlough of workers
•Worked throughout the pandemic, hybrid model remote from home and the office, and ran the HR department by myself
•Developed and implemented a policy/programme on Equality, Inclusion and Diversity in October 2021
•Inducted new hires on company culture, polices, products and services
•Dealt with all grievances and disciplinaries according to Employment law and acas code of practice
•Advised Directors and HODs on employee engagement, wellbeing, performance management and conflict resolution
•Resolved a complicated grievance/disciplinary case with the help of acas and a trade union rep
Career break/ Homemaker– Dubai & UK: 09/2016 – 12/2019 (completed CIPD level 5 qualification during this time)
Senior HRBP (Group Services Division/Corporate Functions) - Al Futtaim Private – Dubai, UAE, 04/2012 to 08/2016
•Worked on 3-year human capital development plan across the entire employee lifecycle
•Collaborated with senior stakeholders: CFO, COO, CIO, Group Finance Controller, Group Treasurer, Group Legal Counsel, Group Senior Internal Auditor and 20 General Managers
•Supported leadership on all aspects of employee relations such as workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, learning and development, talent management, succession planning, disciplinary and grievance advice, employee relations, on boarding inductions, retention and separation, employee engagement and people management
•Led the HR support function for all departments and businesses, covering 600 employees in collaboration with Centres of Excellence such as Total Rewards, Learning and Development, Talent Acquisition and HR Operations
•Managed and reviewed business performance using HR metrics including systems support, coaching and feedback
•Managed performance of junior HR staff and supported their potential development and growth, including increasing diversity and inclusion in teams and / or workplaces
•Coached and advised hiring managers on interview skills and competency based questions
•Assessed business strengths and challenges, implemented appropriate strategies to improve engagement, morale and productivity while addressing cost and employee turnover in partnership with Gallup
•Implemented a structured HR scorecard for the analysis of employee diversity, retention, turnover, cost to hire, time to hire, training cost, training completion and individual development progress
•Advised employees, line managers and senior leaders on policies, procedures and legislation
•Managed the manpower budget by working with senior leaders and finance managers and tracking the approved annual costs and budgets; expert of the internal budgeting tool
•Identified technical and non-technical skills gaps to support business delivery using learning needs analysis and partnering with Al Futtaim Training Centre
Earlier Employment
•HRBP (Electronics – EET: Panasonic, Toshiba, Nokia, Aftron)- Al Futtaim Private Dubai, UAE 2011 – 2012
•HRBP MENA- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC ( Pfizer Dubai UAE), 2006 -2010
•HR Executive- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC (Pfizer Dubai UAE) 2005 -2006
•Administration Manager- Spearhead Training, Dubai, UAE 2002 - 2003
•HR Administrator- iHilal.com, Dubai, UAE 2000 -2001
•HR Administrator- PA Consulting Group, Cambridge, UK 2000
Additional Skills
Proficient in MS Office-Word/Excel/PowerPoint, Lotus Organizer, CIPD HR-inform, CC Mail, BreatheHR, Outlook Express, PeopleSoft, GroupWise, Great Plains, Cazar (Sniperhire), GulfHR, CitrusHR, SAP Success Factors, Kudos, Smart Recruiters, Egencia, Concur, Coupa, Great Place to Work (GPTW), Access Academy, Enboarder, RiskMapp, Docusign, Veeva Vault, Bupa Connect
English (Native), Hindi & Punjabi- fluent. Urdu, Arabic, French & German- basic
Interests: Spending time with my children, walking; reading and keeping abreast of current affairs/environmental issues; various types of music and socialising with close friends and family
Volunteering
•Enterprise Advisor- St. Michael’s Catholic School- Watford, UK 2022 -present
•Enterprise Advisor - Watford Grammar School for Girls 2022 -present
•Foundation Governor- Watford Grammar School for Girls- Watford, UK 2023 – present
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