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HR job moves from American Express, BHP Billiton, and more

Here are the major promotions and job moves in the world of HR for this week.

If you’ve been promoted or if you’ve moved to a new company, let us know and we will announce your news here – just email aditis@humanresourcesonline.net.

And for the pick of HR job opportunities in Asia, check out HRjobs.

HR Practitioner Appointments

Muhammad Safuan takes up role as recruiter at UPECA (Malaysia) UPECA is a leading provider of high precision machining and turnkey manufacturing services. As the recruiter based in Malaysia's Shah Alam, he will manage recruiting and staffing activities. Safuan most recently had the role of HR personnel at Lamborghini KL. Prior to that he was recruiter/facilities specialist at Ecolab (Nalco Industrial Services Malaysia). He has also worked as executive industrial and employee relations at Proton Edar.

BHP Billiton designates Vanesiamary Selvanathan as payroll administrator   Based in Mid Valley, Selvanathan who has been with the mining company for just over a year, has been promoted from her previous role of HR administrator where she was responsible for accurately creating, updating, maintaining and validating employee data in the HR information and payroll system. Prior to this, she was working with WorleyParsons Business Services as HRIS analyst.

Indian conglomerate accepts the resignation of senior VP and group head Ashwani Dahiya, senior VP and group head of performance, reward and organisation development at Reliance Industries has resigned, as reported by The Economic Times, where he was hired to co-lead large-scale organisation transformation at India's largest enterprise in Mumbai. Dahiya continues to remain on the global advisory board of Arizona-based World at Work, and has previously worked as HR VP for Japan, APAC and Australia at American Express in Singapore.

Nancy Testa adds global chief diversity officer role to her plate American Express has appointed Nancy Testa as the chief diversity officer, while she continues to serve as vice president and HR business partner for the global merchant services and loyalty group, based in New York. Kevin Cox, CHRO at American Express, said: "As an executive with a wealth of global leadership and talent management experience, she is ideally suited to help us continue developing best practices and impactful programmes, across diversity and inclusion, to drive business results.

Testa added: "I find our ability to scale global strategies and apply them locally, in relevant and impactful ways to be most exciting – it will allow us to continue attracting and retaining diverse talent, as well as reinforce our commitment to helping our employees develop the skills they need to thrive at American Express."

Prior to joining American Express in 2013, Testa worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she was responsible for talent management, leadership development and organisation effectiveness.

Hotel ICON names Alex Ho as assistant director of L&D The Kowloon-based hotel has named Alex Ho to the learning and development team in Hong Kong. Ho was most recently the learning and development manager at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, a post he held for more than three years.

Publicis Communications brings on board Karen Feng as talent head, P&G, GC Moving from Saatchi & Saatchi where she was talent acquisition head, Greater China, Feng has taken up the role of talent head, P&G, GC at advertising agency Publicis Communications. She has more than 16 years of experience, eight years in account servicing, three on the client side, and the most recent five years as in-house recruiter for Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China.

John Mark Junio moves from Allegis Global Solutions to Minor Hotels Having been with Allegis Global Solutions as sourcing consultant and recruitment trainer since June 2015, Junio has moved to Minor Hotels in Bangkok as recruitment executive. Minor Hotels is the operator of brands such as Anantara, AVANI, Elewana, Four Seasons, Marriott, Oaks, and more.

Cannie Kwok joins Marriott International's HR team The global lodging company has chosen Kwok for the role of director, human resources, BMSC (brand, marketing, sales and consumer services). She fulfils this role from Hong Kong, moving from her previous role as regional director of human resources at Dorsett Hospitality International. Her prior experience includes tenures at Marriott Vacation Club, Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts, and Hong Kong Disneyland.

Allen Cao opts for recruitment role at CreditEase Wealth Management Cao has been appointed by the financial services firm as recruiting manager. Based in Shanghai, he was previously with Allegis Global Solutions, working on projects with teams at Corning Incorporated and Hershey China.

 

HR Solutions Provider Appointments

Michelle Zhang takes up North Asia role at The Warranty Group Zhang has joined the global provider of warranty solutions and related benefits as HR manager, North Asia, while continuing to be based in Shanghai. Zhang has vast experience in HR, with previous roles such as head of HR at Univinson Times Cosmetics (Shanghai), HR manager for Greater China at Travelex, and HR manager at Costa Coffee, among others. 

SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving promotes Ying Hau to director Hau joined the mobility and relocation company in January 2015 as general manager of sales where he led a team of 15 people across four departments, and has since been elevated to the role of director for residential sales, Singapore and Malaysia. He continues to be based in Singapore, but is travelling between the two locations he is managing.

He explained his immediate priorities to Human Resources: "With Singapore's economy going through a challenging time, one of our core focus areas is to ensure continuous communication with our (potential) clients to ensure we are able to provide them with the needed insights and expertise.

"There is a huge amount of talk of cost saving initiatives across all industries and ensuring that our clients stay ahead of the curve by keeping them informed and competitive is critical. Doing the same amount of work or more with streamlined resources is a challenging situation to deal with. And this is where working smarter becomes important, as somehow, the organisation is expected to deliver.

"Implementing innovative and user friendly technology solutions in the mobility space alongside outsourcing are often elements that are being considered nowadays," he pointed out.

Appointments at CXA Eddie Lin has commenced a new role with CXA. Moving on from Mercer where he was senior business development manager, Lin has joined CXA, Asia’s first private workplace exchange, as business development manager, based in Singapore. His key responsibility is to help clients actualise and manage employee health and benefits programmes, which include group life and medical insurance solutions, flexible benefits, and wellness programmes.

Also in Singapore, William Zee has joined CXA as vice president of corporate development. He moves over from RBS, where he tenured since 2008, most recently in the role of executive director and head of client office for Hong Kong, which is where he was based before relocating to Singapore with CXA.

In addition, CXA has made three more strategic hires, each in the role of director of regional client relations: Shaun G Sha, Neo Chin Chin, and Lim Teen Li.

Sha moves from Mercer Singapore where he was most recently senior manager, leading a team of seven individuals, and his prior experience includes more than 13 years of work, with Aon Consulting Singapore, Eka Training Group, Synergy Coaching International, among others.

Neo has more than 15 years of industry experience, and her most recent assignment was as section head at AIA Singapore, where she led a team of client relationship managers in the direct and financial advisors channel.

Joining this duo is Lim, who also comes with more than 15 years of industry experience, and was most recently senior manager at Mercer Singapore, servicing large and strategic accounts. She has previously worked with the likes of Willis Singapore and Aon Consulting Singapore.

Appointments at RGF Eileen Kok has been promoted to director for the accounting and finance practice. She has more than 10 years of recruitment experience, specialising in accounting and finance executive search across various sectors. Prior to recruitment, Kok was an accounting professional who spent the initial nine years of her career within MNCs and a big 4 international public accounting firm. She has held senior finance management positions, covering both regional and local portfolios.

At the executive search firm, Chris Keek has also been promoted to director of banking, financial services and insurance practice. She has more than 10 years of recruitment experience, and has been credited with successfully building solid business relationships with many major international and local companies. She is also focused on assisting her clients on an array of challenging searches, providing consultation on management issues, and managing projects across Asia Pacific.

Oracle India strengthens in-house business consulting team Sachin S Maski, who has been with the cloud solutions company since February 2016 as business consultant for human capital management, has just been given a career boost as business consultant for SaaS for the public sector, where he is assisting Indian public sector units to transform the organisation with the help of Oracle ERP, Oracle EPM, Oracle HCM and Oracle CX.

Appointments at Software AG The leading enterprise solutions provider has appointed Mike Slater as chief operating officer for Software AG’s Asia Pacific and Japan region, and the promotion of Anneliese Schulz in the new role of vice president of Software AG’s Asia region. In their new roles, they will be responsible for managing and strengthening Software AG’s operations and business initiatives in their respective regions.

Eric Duffaut, CCO, Software AG, commented: "With 20 years of ICT experience, Mike’s global expertise and industry knowledge positions him well to continue our success as we drive growth for ourselves, our clients and our partners.

"Since joining the company in 2011, Anneliese’s contribution to Software AG has been invaluable. Under her leadership, we have secured many key client wins in Asia. Her appointment, together with her strong track record and understanding of market requirements, will help Software AG further grow its regional market presence."

Apryl Policarpio commences work with Tata Consultancy Services Joining the IT services firm, part of Tata Group, Policarpio is based in Angeles, Philippines, where she is recruitment associate for a RPO account. She brings with her prior sourcing experience, having held the role of sourcing associate at C.D. Santos Talent Acquisition Solutions, and HR assistant at The SM Store.

Petula Lam pursues talent responsibility with Swiss Re In a move away from her role as senior organisational development manager at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Lam has taken up the role of vice president of strategic resourcing and talent management at Swiss Re, the wholesale provider of reinsurance, insurance and other insurance-based forms of risk transfer.

Speaking to Human Resources, she said: "Being new to the organisation, I would consider my top priority now is to have a robust review of talent pipeline and gaps in various levels in order to come up with a talent strategy that fits with the corporate 2020 vision, business needs, and last but not the least, the talent's motivational needs."

Lam has more than 13 years of experience in Hong Kong, with stints as business promotion manager and marketing communications manager at The Hong Kong and China Gas Company (Towngas).

RGF HR Agent Japan boosts career growth for Alex Zoboli Zoboli, who has been manager of sales and marketing with Hays since September 2013, has just moved up the ranks to senior manager of sales and marketing at RGF HR Agent Japan, a Recruit Group company. Continuing to be based in Tokyo, while at Hays he was credited with achievements such as being awarded best manager of Hays Japan 2015, and ranked sixth as individual contributor 2015.

Cass Cheung is HR lead, Hong Kong at Accenture Having worked in Hong Kong since 2004, Cheung has moved from her role as HR transformation lead and HR operations manager, Asia Pacific region at Maersk Hong Kong, to HR lead, Hong Kong at consulting firm Accenture. She has previously worked with The Linde Group, ASSA ABLOY, and Atos Origin, among others.

ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific singles out Prof Kevyn Yong as dean Provider of executive education programmes, ESSEC Business School, as appointed Prof Kevyn Yong to the role of dean of ESSEC Asia-Pacific in Singapore, in addition to his existing responsibilities as associate professor of management. He will be responsible for: centres of excellence, executive education, and the knowledge centre, among others. Prior to joining ESSEC in 2014, Yong was associate professor of management at HEC Paris. He succeeds Prof. Martine Bronner, dean for the last two years.

Megan Hughes supports Randstad's L&D team in Singapore After stints with Michael Page and CPA Australia based in Sydney, Meghan Hughes joined recruitment consultancy Randstad in Singapore manager for sales and marketing in August 2013. She was soon promoted to learning and development manager, and has just taken up another elevation as head of learning and development for Southeast Asia. The L&D team is focused on offering world class training to all employees to support their ongoing development and career progression at all levels.

Recruitment and search firm appoints Joshua Woo in business development BGC Group has selected Joshua Woo as senior business development manager in Singapore. He was previously working as assistant team manager at TBC HR Consulting for a short stint, prior to which he was with Kelly Services as consulting manager, contingent workforce operations.

Steven Greenberg Joins Heidrick & Struggles in Tokyo Executive recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles International has appointed Steven Greenberg as partner in the financial services practice, based in Tokyo; while also leading the insurance sector for Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He is also a member of the CEO and board of directors practice.

Frazer Wilson, managing partner of the financial services practice for APAC, said: "Steven is well known in Japan with his extensive knowledge in the insurance and financial industry, bringing tremendous value to clients on various challenging and stringent leadership issues."

Greenberg added: "Heidrick & Struggles' long history in Asia, strong global network, and perceptive insights into senior-level talent enable us to partner closely with our clients in securing and selecting the right leaders at various stages in the growth and evolution of their businesses."

Prior to entering the executive search and leadership consulting industry, Greenberg was the representative director and president at The Gallup Organization Japan.

Allegis Global Solutions moves to hire Belinda Walker for operations Having been in the HR industry since May 2007, Walker is now operations director at the talent solutions and recruiting firm, based in Singapore. She has been with Allegis since July 2011, and was most recently account manager. In the new role, she is responsible for a portfolio of RPO, cRPO and MSP accounts across the Asia Pacific region with a focus on identifying expansion opportunities and driving innovation, creating strategic account plans in collaboration with clients, and driving initiatives that enhance client solutions.

KPMG Malaysia picks Gayatiri Vejayantran for L&D role Vejayantran has been appointed by the audit, taxi and advisory firm as executive for Asia Pacific L&D, where she is focusing on virtual classroom coordination, based in Damansara, Malaysia. She moves from Systemizer Technic, where she was HR and accounts administrator.

Hays selects Sylvia Lin as team manager in Shanghai Staffing firm Hays has promoted Lin to the role of team manager, up from her role as senior consultant since March 2015 when she joined. Prior to Hays, she was working as team leader, human resources at Standard Codes, also in Shanghai.

 

If you’ve been promoted or if you’ve moved to a new company, let us know and we will announce your news here – just email aditis@humanresourcesonline.net.

And for the pick of HR job opportunities in Asia check out HRjobs.

Image: 123RF

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