Partner Article

Explore Learning hires new Director of People

Explore Learning, the tuition provider for children aged four to 14, has bolstered its recruitment, HR and training teams by appointing Catriona Scott as Director of People. The newly created role, which also sits on the board of directors, means there will be an even bigger focus on the recruitment and nurturing of the company’s staff in a successful year where it was named second best big company to work for in The Sunday Times Best Companies Awards and recognised by GlassDoor in its employees’ choice awards.

Lisa Haycox, Operations Director at Explore Learning says: “Explore Learning now employs over 3,500 members of staff, comprised of 3,000 tutors and 500 managers, located across the UK. All of our success is built on the quality of our people and in an organisation of our size we needed a board member who has the responsibility to move the agenda forward. The more engaged our staff are, the more positive the effect on the company as a whole.“

Catriona has worked at Explore Learning for 13 years, rising up the ranks from Assistant Director in Explore’s first ever centre in Chelmsford, to Centre Director, Regional Manager and, most recently, Business Process Manager. She will be based in the company’s headquarters in Guildford, while making regular visits to Explore’s 139 centres located across the UK.

Lisa adds: “We went through a very lengthy recruitment process which involved looking at a larger number of external candidates and people who are already in Director of People roles in different businesses and sectors. What Catriona had above the other candidates was her understanding of what’s at the heart of Explore and how to drive the strategy for people forward.“

**Catriona Scott, Director of People at Explore Learning says: “I am very excited to take on the role of Director of People and to be a part of Explore’s continued growth. When I first started, there were just 15 centres and we now have 139, supporting over 35,000 children to become Fearless Learners. We are a very ambitious company and will continue to expand, so ensuring that every member of staff has a brilliant employee experience is so important. The reason Explore Learning is so successful is down to its incredible people and I am determined to drive this forward and make the journey even better as we continue to grow”. **

The newly appointed role of Director of People will also sit on the company’s board – making the board officially 50:50 men – women.

Explore Learning was launched in 2001 by Chief Executive, Bill Mills, who is still very-much hands on. The company provides English and maths tuition to children aged four to 14, working closely with local communities, schools and libraries. The aim is to encourage children to become ‘fearless learners’, reaching their full potential.

Explore Learning is currently growing at a rate of 20% year on year and in 2014 opened its first international centre in America, under the name ‘Explore Horizons.’ The business now has six US centres in Dallas.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katherine Adams .