HR professional branches out with new venture for southwest London

A HR professional in southwest London has set up his own business to help local companies navigate the challenges of managing and maintaining a happy workforce.

Alex Abbott, founder of The HR Dept Wimbledon & New Malden, will use his 15-plus years of corporate experience to offer HR advice and support to SMEs in the area.

Having held high-profile roles with big businesses in the retail, healthcare and financial services sectors, he recently decided to strike out on his own and fulfil a lifetime’s ambition.

Alex explained: “I’ve always wanted to set up my own business – to be the owner, the decision maker – and focus on adding real value rather than being a facilitator in a giant machine of several thousand people.

“In my career so far I’ve really enjoyed the employee relations side of things. I get great satisfaction from seeing the outcome of my work and I felt there was an opportunity to transition that enthusiasm and experience across to growing businesses.”

He added: “And I thought that, having worked in a variety of sectors and with companies within those sectors having a variety of employee relations difficulties, that I was well suited to potentially do that.”

The HR Dept is an international operation with a network of 73 franchisees covering 111 territories across the UK, Ireland and Australia.

In launching a branch for Wimbledon and New Malden, Alex said he was particularly keen to get to know the business community in the area where he grew up.

He continued: “My work’s taken me all over London and the UK so it’s great to be working in the place I call home. I last worked in Wimbledon within a recruitment agency almost 20 years ago!

“I can really get to know the business owners and the people behind the business community. It’s going to be crucial to get a really good understanding of that community and how it works.”

The HR Dept’s managing director, Gemma Tumelty, commented: “It’s great to see someone of Alex’s calibre and experience offering HR services to SMEs in Wimbledon and New Malden.

“We wish him all the best operating the licence and are sure he will make it a great success.”

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