The professional body for human resources has appointed Lisa Pearl as its new people and change director, bringing a senior HR leader with more than three decades of experience into its executive team.
Pearl will take up the role in February, joining the organisation at a point when the HR profession is under sustained pressure to respond to skills shortages, rapid technological change and evolving expectations around leadership, flexibility and workforce wellbeing.
Her appointment strengthens the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s internal focus on culture, capability and organisational effectiveness, alongside its wider role in setting standards for the people profession in the UK and internationally.
The CIPD, which represents and accredits HR and people development professionals, said Pearl would play a central role in shaping its people strategy and supporting its own workforce through ongoing change.
Senior leadership background across sectors
Pearl has been a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD since 2017 and brings more than 30 years’ HR experience across multiple sectors. Her previous roles include chief human resources officer at Bestway Healthcare, group people director at Anchor, executive director of people at AQA and most recently group people director at DFS, the furniture retailer.
Across those positions, she led organisational culture programmes, large-scale transformation initiatives and people strategies designed to demonstrate the commercial contribution of high-performing HR functions.
Alongside her corporate career, Pearl is active in education governance. She serves as a governor at a local high school, where she supports leadership strategy and long-term planning aimed at improving outcomes for students.
Reflecting on her appointment, Pearl said her long association with the profession’s chartered body had shaped her career.
“Having been a proud member of the CIPD throughout my HR career, I’m thrilled to join the organisation and contribute to growing and serving our membership,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to leading the people and change function in building the culture, capabilities and AI-enabled skills our people need to address the challenges facing the profession, and evolve as a modern, member-focused professional body.”
Focus on internal culture and capability
CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese said Pearl’s appointment would strengthen the organisation’s leadership at a time of significant change for the world of work.
“We’re delighted to welcome Lisa to the CIPD. She brings a wealth of HR and leadership experience and will be a key part of the executive leadership team,” he said.
“She will play a critical role in driving performance to deliver for all our members, and in shaping our capabilities and culture as we respond to the many changes impacting the profession and the wider world of work. We want to continue making the CIPD a great place to work and a leader in good people practices.”
The role of people and change director sits at the intersection of organisational performance, professional credibility and member trust. As employers increasingly expect HR to lead on artificial intelligence adoption, skills development and workforce wellbeing, the CIPD faces parallel expectations to model the people practices it promotes.
Pearl’s experience across regulated, education and consumer-facing organisations is likely to inform how the body balances operational rigour with adaptability, as it continues to position itself as a modern professional organisation responding to a fast-changing employment landscape.
