Our first round-up of movers and shakers in 2025 includes significant appointments at Mastercard, The HR Department and Estée Lauder.

Hannah Bloxham, Bibby Financial Services

In December, Bibby Financial Services appointed Hannah Bloxham as HR director as part of its growth strategy. Hannah joins BFS with 20 years’ experience in HR leadership, having held senior positions at Siemens and across the UK Civil Service.

Hannah brings extensive international experience within the financial services sector, having spent four years living in Germany, covering France, Spain, Italy and Germany, and a further three years as head of HR for the Asia Pacific region based out of Hong Kong, both with Siemens Financial Services. Her most recent role was HR director – reward, employee relations and insights at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), serving an employee base of 5,000 colleagues.

Speaking of her appointment, Hannah commented: “I am delighted to join BFS at this time as we seek to realise our next phase of growth in supporting SMEs around the world, with people at the heart of what we do. BFS is a values-based organisation with a unique warmth to its culture, centred on ensuring our clients, colleagues and communities thrive.”

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A fluent German speaker and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD), Hannah has previously been nominated as a Power Part Timer, advocating for flexible working at senior levels, as well as being shortlisted with her team for a CIPD Award in 2023.

Jonathan Andrew, CEO of BFS, said: “As a family-owned business with people at the core of what we do, I’m delighted to welcome Hannah to BFS as we continue to grow our support for colleagues and customers alike. Hannah brings a wealth of international experience to BFS, as well as a keen focus on employee engagement and development, that will help us to continue to attract, develop and retain leading talent from around the world.”

Part of the Bibby Line Group, BFS has more than 1,000 colleagues throughout Europe and in Asia, supporting more than 8,500 businesses across its Invoice Finance, Asset Finance and FX solutions.

Emma Fay, The HR Dept

Leading outsourced HR and employment law consultancy The HR Dept has announced that HR and employment specialist Emma Fay has taken ownership of the long-standing HR Dept Trafford and Warrington.

Fay has been running HR Dept Wilmslow since 2014 and says she hopes to build on these foundations by expanding into the neighbouring franchise, bringing her team up to seven employees. The two franchises have forged a strong connection in the last decade, working collaboratively to support businesses in the region.

The HR Dept has 120 locations in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Through its teams in Wilmslow and Trafford and Warrington, it has already built a strong presence in the region and will continue to support local businesses under Fay’s direction.

Fay says: “The team at Trafford and Warrington are exceptionally talented at what they do and look after their clients amazingly well, often receiving 100% in client satisfaction surveys. Local businesses clearly rely on their support, so I’m really looking forward to them benefiting from the larger range of expertise and complementary skillsets that this enables us to offer.”

Susan Muigai, Mastercard

Mastercard has recruited Susan Muigai as its new chief people officer, effective from 7 April.

Muigai will lead Mastercard’s human resources strategy and function, focusing on all aspects of the organisation, including culture, learning and development, talent acquisition and engagement, compensation, and benefits. She will report to chief executive Michael Miebach and will be part of the executive leadership team.

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Michael Fraccaro, the current chief people officer, will serve as an adviser until his departure at the end of the year.

Muigai will join from TransUnion, where she has served as executive vice president, chief human resources officer since 2021. She previously spent 16 years at Walmart and held various senior roles across the US, Canada, and India.

Muigai said: “I’m excited to join the Mastercard team and look forward to building on the strong platform of talent and fostering a culture that enables its people and business to thrive.”

Miebach said Muigai’s “extensive background and global experience in HR strategy, human capital management, and organisational leadership make her an invaluable addition as we continue to empower people and power economies.”

Source:Estee Lauder photograph Michael Bowes, Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies has appointed Michael Bowes executive vice president, chief people officer, from 1 April.

Bowes will report directly to Stéphane de La Faverie, president and chief executive officer, and will oversee all areas of global human resources, including talent management, and career development and organisational design.

He joined the firm in 2015 and has led global talent acquisition and end-to-end talent management, including executive talent management, talent development, and enterprise learning and development.

Bowes will succeed Michael O’Hare, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, who will retire and step down from the role on 1 April.

Previously, Bowes was managing director of executive search at Karen Harvey Consulting. He has also held senior talent management and HR business partner roles at Coach, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Cole Haan, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

De La Faverie said: “Michael is a dynamic leader with a deep passion for people and culture. His strategic vision, commitment to talent development, and ability to foster collaboration across our global organisation make him the ideal leader to shape the future of our workforce.”

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