December 2015Gary Hill

Profile Summary

Gary has a 10-year background in permanent senior HR management roles within manufacturing and data Processing environments, prior to commencing HR consulting some fifteen years ago. The subsequent range of HR consultancy activities have covered the spectrum required by a senior HR generalist, with strategic change management activities in a range of environments being recurring themes over this time. These testing roles have been in the Private/ Public sector and NFP environments. Gary is a capable HR manager with a strong mentor/coach focus and achieves significant satisfaction from coaching less experienced staff to develop their own style and effectiveness, appropriate to their environment. This approach is taken into the HR Locum and change management projects to ensure that the value added activity goes beyond the actual project.

Prior to embarking on his HR career, Gary qualified at Victoria University for a career in Social Work. Over a ten-year period, Gary moved from operational social work activities to managing teams of social workers in the Porirua area. This training and experience has served Gary well in working through a range of HR activity, particularly change management. The day-to-day activity has created a high level of knowledge around HR risk management in relation to change management activity and the ability to structure processes in a way that recognises the impact on the individual’s involved and the risk to the organisation.

Gary has always functioned at senior management team level but is as comfortable developing strategy as implementing agreed operational activity.

Experience Specifically Relevant To This Role Some examples of Gary’s previous relevant experience include, in chronological order

BioGro NZ September 2015This project is reviewing the HR documentation and structural requirements of this small not for profit organisation. The work as locum HR manager is ongoing to support the CEO and assist in the development of an organisational structure that will support new business development.

Home of Compassion- Island Bay July-August 2015 This project based role was as a change manager. The Home of Compassion undertook a review of both staff and strategic direction, given the closure of hospital facilities and the development of an international “Retreat” concept.A number of roles were deemed surplus and a range of new roles that support the new direction were created. The plan was designed and supported by Gary, all communications (both written and staff meetings) were attended to or attended by Gary in support of the CEO. The process was planned and carried out to plan with all objectives achieved.

Soup Kitchen Wellington –March 2015 – June 2015This project based role was as a change manager. The Soup Kitchen undertook an organisation-wide review, the outcome of which indicated a need to review the entire team. A full change management programme was initiated planned and implemented by Gary, supporting the newly appointed General Manager. The outcome of the project that touched on all roles has been an invigorated team with some changes, based on new role descriptions and required outcomes. The process was clean and no issues other than those planned have resulted.

Wellington City Council (WCC) – August 2014 – December 2014. This locum role of Manager HR Services requires the management and work allocation/review for four HR Consultants and one Lead Consultant. There are three administration/support roles in the team also. This role reports to the General Manager HR and is planned to remain in place until December 2014. Gary carries a small caseload of sensitive projects and is responsible for the organisation wide review of policies and procedures.

Working with a range of small to medium employers – April 2013-August 2014The range of activity spans policy and procedure development/review, investigations into issues with disciplinary potential, organisational reviews and restructuring, collective agreement review and negotiation, mentoring and coaching to CEO level, risk analysis and representation of organisations and individuals at employment disputes/mediation.

Dispute Resolution Services Ltd- HR Manager (Locum). This role was for an eight month period to cover for a resignation/appointment of CEO and implement a change management process established by the new CEO. This was a challenging role in that DRSL had been designated as a schedule IV Crown entity within 18-months of the appointment of a new CEO. The new CEO planned a new structure that reflected a professional services model, with clear delineation between customer facing and overhead/support roles. From an organisational/cultural perspective, this was revolution as versus evolution, in respect of virtually all areas of the business. The HR component of the company needed to be more proactive and focus on consistency, transparency and a focus on HR best practice. It required a strong leadership style that combined coaching and mentoring of managers to assist in the process of identification of future human capital and other managers that needed to review their management style or management aspirations

Ministry of Transport – Project Manager organisational Refinement (Change Manager). This was a four-month project. Gary managed a review of two discreet areas of the Ministry through a review/change process that involved thirty staff. This was from implementation to the final departure of a number of staff members who were unable to demonstrate the skills/competencies, identified as necessary to move the organisation forward. This was the first time that the Ministry had ended up with redundancies after a change

management process and as such, this process needed to be closely “risk-managed”.

QE II Trust – Change manager. This was a two-month project. The Trust recognised that emerging technology requires a different structure to gain the maximum advantage and carried out a review and subsequent restructure, Gary provided support to the Chief Executive in the change management process.

Crown Forest Rental Trust – Change Manager. This was a 6-month project. The Trust recognised a need to change the structure to deliver an improved level of service and to ensure that the treaty Settlement timelines, set by the Government, are achievable. Due to the nature of the working culture, this was an extremely complex environment to work in and avoid damage to the new working environment. The project was delivered on time and within budget.

4RF Communications Ltd – Contract HR Manager (Locum). 2001-2013. This Company needed to restructure and reduce the size of their operations based on falling sales and a raising Kiwi dollar. Surplus roles were identified and affected staff members were required to compete for a lesser number of roles, or elect to take redundancy. Gary carried out the planning, communications, mentored the managers involved, reviewed and established new Position Descriptions, planned and assisted with all interviews, prepared interview questions, prepared letters for all staff and assisted with surplus staff finding alternative roles. There were no personal grievances associated with this project. Gary has grown the company, as needs have subsequently arisen.

ACC – Change Manager. This was a significant project undertaken to re-align the activity currently carried out in network branches into business service centres. In effect, the day-to-day, short term claims were routed into call centres to be dealt with by less experienced staff members and the expensive, long term claims were retained in the regional branches. This meant a complete review of roles, new roles developed, old roles dis-established and a complete refocusing of activities and outputs. This project was significant in respect of impact on staff, impact on clients and impact on short, medium and long-term cost for ACC. The project took over eight months, involved significant consultation with employee representatives and no personal grievances were successfully pursued from this project. Gary acted in a number of HR Account Management locum roles, Employee relations manager, covering parental leave absences and “one-off” projects for ACC.

MSA/CAA – Change Manager. This was a very challenging project that continued for a four-month period. Gary was charged with reviewing the Search and Rescue Operation being provided on a part-time basis whilst MSA/CAA underwent the development of a full-time 24/7 service staffed with permanent full-time professional search and rescue staff members. The part-time staff were subsequently deemed surplus as the new service was implemented but business as usual was maintained whilst the new service was being set up in tandem with the part-time service.

Alcatel-Lucent – Contract Manager - Recruitment – This role was to carry out extensive and intensive recruitment activity for a programme of work won by Alcatel-Lucent. The initial number of specialist engineers required for the project was 240 at the commencement of the 6-month project. This number was achieved and at the end of the project there was still a requirement to recruit in excess of 100 more. This project required innovative approaches to identify and implement new approaches to achieve the results required.

CareNZ – Locum HR Manager for a nine-month period. The initial responsibility was the review of the management structure, make recommendations to the Trust Board and implementation of change management plan to rationalise the structure at the senior management level of the company. It was necessary to provide more management support for the network operations, at this point of tension. This was a part-time project manager’s role that led to Gary acting full-time in the CEO role for the final four- month period of the project.

@Work Insurance – Gary was the locum HR manager contracted to set up this SOE until a permanent HR Manager was appointed. This was a seven month project that embraced a strategic planning phase, with recommendations for the final structure being signed-off by the interim board, to the project management of the recruitment of some 75 staff members, the development of employment documentation and policies and procedures.

Quality Health NZ – Gary was contracted for a three-month period to review the HR infrastructure, prepare a report on the company’s health from a HR risk management perspective and recommend priorities for action with rationale for this activity. This activity was subsequently carried out and the contract ended once the agreed outcomes were achieved. This organization has been taken over by a more significant provider of services and there is now a full-time, permanent HR manager in place.

Datacraft NZ – HR/Project Manager, company restructure. The new CEO commissioned Gary to plan and then carry out a full review of the current structure, roles and accountabilities within the company. Following the provision of a full report read in conjunction the proposed business plan, it was agreed to carry out a company-wide restructure in which almost all staff were required to reapply for a role or opt for redundancy. This was a six-month project as there were branches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch as well as sub-companies existing within the main branches. This was a significant project that had the initial effect of reducing staff numbers until recruitment activity into the new structures was completed. Datacraft moved from a loss making entity of some years standing, into a profitable entity within two years of this project. This profitability has been maintained. Gary was retained for a further three years until Datacraft had grown to the point where a permanent HR Manager was recruited.

GoodHealth Wanganui – Gary was the locum HR director for a period of nine-months, to cover for the HR Director who had been seconded onto a

review team (Boston Consulting Group initiative). At the finish of this project, Gary was contracted by the GoodHealth Wanganui Mental Health Team to close down the Lack Alice facilities and negotiate new employment terms for the Mental Health staff, who had the option to transfer to the GoodHealth Wanganui campus under Nurses Organisation terms rather than PSA terms. This was a three-month project that over-delivered and was ground breaking to get an entrenched employee group to move to a different representation provider, on significantly different terms of employment, in a different physical location. This was really, a “roll up your sleeves “function that was demanding in every respect but equally satisfying in every respect. The affected staff were well aware of their entitlements and it was critical to keep this in mind and in process, to keep the project on track.

Ajax Fasteners Ltd – This permanent role was to cover the entire range of HR activity within a manufacturing environment, as a member of the senior management team. The employment period spanned some seven-years.The role was a combination of strategic objectives that translated into operational plans and outputs that were modified as the market was deregulated and the Employment Contracts Act impacted on the business. This role was one of the most interesting of Gary’s career in that he was intimately involved in growing the company in a period that required skilled employees and then was responsible for planning and implementing downsizing activity to recognise the changing demand patterns created by deregulation. It was this role that formed the base for more extensive change management activity, based on changing business outcomes in more complex business environments

Summary

In almost all of the locum and specific change management activity, there has been the opportunity to coach/guide managers and less experienced staff to add lasting value to the contracted activity. Gary has both the capacity and passion to take the time to work alongside staff members at all levels, who want to understand how they can do a better job from a HR perspective. It is one of the most enjoyable components of acting in senior HR roles, to leave a legacy of staff members who are keen to ensure that they understand where the limits of their knowledge and when to ask for assistance.

Employee relations and dealing with the legal issues arising from employment have been and still are core to Gary’s day-to-day function, with a range of employers of all sizes and complexity. Gary is completely professional in these issues and is current with the Authority decisions that impact on issues at the workface and at the mediation service levels. It is probably Gary’s social work experience and qualifications that have provided the basis for dealing with the human component that is always an integral to staffing end employee relations based issues. This is an area of real strength and it would be easily possible to provide a range of references that confirm these capabilities. Gary derives real and significant satisfaction from this activity.

Gary has accrued sufficient knowledge and experience, to be able to function comfortably at all of the levels present in relevant change-based environments. The ability to clearly understand the business needs and the HR risks inherent in change necessary to deliver the new business needs is Gary’s strength, coupled with the ability to synthesise this information and prepare a HR best practice based strategy to deliver the necessary outputs.

A component of almost all of the contracted roles is the requirement to review current systems and processes and suggest better/more effective ways of achieving more acceptable outcomes for less effort. This could be as significant as reviewing an organisations Policies and Procedures (as was the case with the WCC) or an audit of employment documentation of specific issues such as employment applications. The base of this activity has grown over the years to the point where this is an automatic “added value” opportunity. The same applies to specific processes that need review based on changes in legislation and precedent based decisions.

Referees – Available on request, all will be senior/CEO level referees.