Mala Iyengar

A result oriented Chartered CIPD qualified Senior HR Professional with multiple years’ experience acquired in various industries. Strategic business partner/ Head of HR to Senior Management & Board of Directors in supporting company growth by designing and implementing people programs.

Experience in handling HR/Employee Relation related matters both in unionised and non-unionised environment. Demonstrated hands on experience in initiating cost containment strategies resulting in company savings. Excellent ability to address and implement strategic plans for manger development, staffing and selection, work force analysis, risk management, change management, talent retention, and succession planning.

Senior People Manager UK & Ireland (Head of HR) at Taiko Foods Ltd (2022-08 – Present)

Leading & Managing Taiko Foods HR/People department.

Taiko

Foods is a part of global Wonderfield brand. Being the part of the Taiko Board, to make strategic decision for people engagement, development, selection and recruitment for key role and strategic change management. Managing HR operations, talent development, Reward, payroll, L&D and leading Taiko culture and being the lead for all people related activities. Managing a team of 7 including Snr Advisors, people partner L&D managers, recruitment, payroll and reward. Being part of operational meetings of Tier 1, 2 and operational huddles to understand business challenges to create and implement people strategy.

• Business partner to MD and all Taiko board members including SLTs
• Initiating and managing HR Department for UK & Ireland
• Designed and implement various process and streamlining & challenging in-place process to make the place compliant and structured ways of working.
• Designing and implementing work force planning to reduce overtime and agency cost over £1/2 million year on year
• Set yearly HR KPI target in agreement with Taiko Executive Board
• Created Taiko Engagement team with focus to improve engagement with the factory staff. Engagement scoring over 85% year on year.
• Reviewed and redesigned recruitment and selection process to improve and widen Taiko talent pool increasing moving turnover average from 98% to 45%.
• Introduced company values’ peer to peer awards and continue to drive people forum and engagement forum initiatives.
• Designing People Plan under 7 pillars with focus on employee promises.
• Designing quarterly people strategy based on business strategy and implement them
• Designing and implement site wellbeing and D&I strategy.
• Coaching, facilitation and developing people management skills at all levels
• Control the HR budget and report on current and future staffing costs and initiatives
• Creating People policies and procedures, best practice and current thinking regarding effective and commercially sound employment practices including complex ER, change management.
• Implementation of pay, reward and recognition for the business.
• Managing complex ER cases to ensure business risk is mitigated
• Managing succession planning for all department to ensure creditable talent pool is constantly available for company growth.

Senior/HR Business Partner at Bakkavor Meals London (2019-11 – 2022-08)

Business partnering for Abbeydale site and functions such as engineering, process & technical for circa 750 employees. Working closely with Senior Leadership Team & Executive team in creating, implementation and delivery of site & Group HR plan, policies, and processes. Designing and leading Organisational development and succession plan for the site through various OD measures. Leading multiple people development projects for the meals sector.

• Leading contributor by working in partnership with the management population to understand business requirements and translate these into meaningful priorities and change plans
• Owning, developing and leading the Business Unit HR plan to support BU goals, Group HR Strategy, customer needs & effectively measures its delivery.
• Designing, planning & executing people wellbeing strategy.
• Delivering the business DAS process including DAS discussions, levelling, assessment and development centre observation and feedback, to ensure delivery of talent pipeline for the BU.
• Ensuring BU labour resourcing plans are in place to meet the needs of the business including manpower planning for permanent and temp labour and liaison with Centre of Excellence on weekly and salaried recruitment
• Conducting labour planning meetings with operational managers to ensure that manning levels for permanent and temporary labour are always at the optimum level. Drive with focus on reduction of agency workers.
• Leading Organisational Design initiatives at all levels to meet current and future business needs
• Driving the performance management cycle ensuring reviews in place. development plans are in place and action plans are in place where required. Coach on quality conversations.
• Developing and leading the BU communication strategy to ensure all employees are well informed and communication channels are effective.
• Coaching line managers & exec on the people performance cycle and ensures all reviews are completed, PDPs are live and action plans are in place where improvement is required.
• Providing day-to-day performance management guidance to line management (e.g., coaching, counselling, career development, disciplinary actions).
• Working with Site Heads & Line Managers to deliver the business engagement plan and specific engagement, initiatives including yearly employee engagement survey
• Coaching and supporting line managers on complex absence, disciplinary and grievance issues and ensure managers have the appropriate skills to manage these people processes
• Leading and supporting site base company wider strategy relating to line manager capacity, absence management policy and safe working environment for all work force.
• Ensure the SEF agenda is realised within the area of responsibility and that the employee voice is represented. In addition, supports the Senior HR management in managing the Union relationship.
• Contributing to global HR strategic initiatives and improve processes
• Working with leaders to identify skills gaps, both immediate and long term, to build training plans to support individual and business growth.
• Working with senior leaders to devise optimal Organisational Design for structural fit

HR Manager- Client Facing at Vistra (IES) (2019-07 – 2019-10)

Providing HR Management and partnering for one of the leading consulting company. Initial set up of new clients and on-going support of old client. Partnering with new start up and existing company to provide HR services and being a HR champion.

Managing operational, strategic and compliant based advises for small financial services, Tech companies, online retailers and others. Provided HR Management support for companies like Narvar, Xactly, Own Back UP, Credit Karma, MHP Consulting ( A Porsche company)

HR Advisor (Region-South) at European Metal Recycling (2018-03 – 2019-06)

Providing full HR support to 30 sites in south of England for approx.500 employees and partnering with southern depots and senior management in providing strategic, transformational, and operational HR support.

HR Coordinator / Advisor at Worley Parsons (former amec- FW) (2017-03 – 2017-12)

Providing support and managing BP Magnus EOR project with 100+ headcount. A project based in Shetland.

HR Advisor at The James Hutton Institute (2014-10 – 2015-10)

Providing day to day HR advisory support for 3 business area of approximately 300 employees within James Hutton Institute.

HR Representative at Glaxo Smith Kline (Randstad) (2013-06 – 2014-07)

Provide day-to-day support to the UK- HRBL Team. This including coaching Managers for GSK HR policies & relevant legislation and assisting in all HR transactions for 700 UK employees

HR Operation Specialist at Citigroup

PG diploma in HRM – London Metropolitan University