Ford Retail, the world’s largest, dedicated Ford dealership, has today announced the appointment of Sharon Ashcroft as HR Director and member of the board. Leading a team of 20, Sharon will report directly into Stuart Kerr, Chairman and CEO, and will be responsible for overseeing the HR function for the business, including Health and Safety, Learning and Development, as well as Pay and Reward.
With over eight years experience with Ford Retail, Sharon has a deep knowledge of the Group’s operations. She was integral to the introduction and roll out of the Moments of Truth initiative; a £2 million HR driven customer services training programme that has resulted in over 3,000 members of staff across 65 dealership sites earning either an NVQ in customer service or a Ford Retail ICS diploma.
Sharon has extensive HR experience in multi-site, retail businesses; having held positions in organisations including Personnel Manager GT News, Gamestation and CODA. She joined Regional HR Manager for Yorkshire in August 2005 and was promoted to HR Manager for North and Central within two years.
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Commenting on her appointment, Sharon said: “This is a very exciting time for the business particularly from a personnel perspective. I have some big ambitions for 2014, at the heart of which will be recruiting the right talent, inducting them into the business and retaining them. More than any other organisation that I’ve worked with, the HR function at Ford Retail plays a leading role in achieving the overarching objectives of the business.”
Speaking of Sharon’s appointment, Stuart Kerr, Chairman and CEO, commented: “Ford Retail has always been focused on our people; they are what set us apart from our competitors. Without their expertise and commitment to providing our customers with the best experience possible, our business would not enjoy the success it does.
“The key to this is our HR team which has trained, recruited and rewarded our colleagues, which in turn has produced the highest calibre of employee. Sharon has played a central role in this over her eight years within the business and I am delighted to appoint her to HR Director and welcome her to the board.”
