YORKSHIRE TALENT FORUM - focusing on talent at UKAR

Suzanne Walker is Head of the UKAR Academy and keen to share a unique perspective on talent from an extraordinary organisation.

Suzanne started her career as a graduate trainee with IBM in Portsmouth and was sponsored to complete CIPD qualifications via a post graduate diploma. She undertook various HR roles within IBM and ultimately worked in the Strategic Outsourcing team as HR Manager supporting the TUPE of transfer of employees into IBM.

Suzanne relocated back to Yorkshire with IBM and later secured a HR BP role with Bradford & Bingley (B&B) in 2000, undertaking various roles in the BP team. In 2007 she was appointed Head of Talent for B&B and continued in this role until nationalisation in 2008, at this time the retail network was sold toSantander and Suzanne transferred as Head of B&B HR to Santander.

After leaving Santander in 2010 and following a break to have her third child, Suzanne returned to B&B in October 2010 as Head of L&D. In November 2010 UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) was formed through the amalgamation of B&B and Northern Rock Asset Management which in Suzanne’s words “has resulted in fantastic and challenging opportunities, not least from a Talent Management perspective”.

At Talent Forum Suzanne will share AKAR's talent management successes and, as always, she welcomes insightful and challenging questions of the forum members that will help shape her thinking for the future.