MEET OUR NEW HR & TALENT ACQUISITION MANAGER, KAREN FERRIS
As a result of the ongoing growth period of JJ&A, we have appointed Karen Ferris as our HR and Talent Acquisition Manager. Karen is a highly experienced HR professional whose role is to help us streamline and manage our HR and recruiting processes, to maintain our high standards and excellent reputation. You can learn more about Karen in the short article below.
JOINING JJ&A
When a friend mentioned the role at JJ&A the timing couldn't have been better. Karen has always enjoyed taking on substantial projects and the newly created role fitted the bill perfectly. Following a rigorous round of interviews with Jane James and Luci Lloyd (both of whom she warmed to immediately), Karen was offered the HR and Talent Acquisition Manager position. As Karen has always reported directly to the Board or senior directors she felt very comfortable reporting directly to Luci Lloyd, Jane James and Associates’ Director of Operations.
There was a full team meeting on Karen's first day on the job and it was the best start possible as it meant Karen could get to know her fellow JJ&A employees, plus, it gave them all an opportunity to gel together as a team. Karen likes the culture of openness at JJ&A; it is special and really stood out for her in the first few weeks in the role. The whole team is warm, genuinely interested, open and professional and are the same whether dealing with clients or getting together for a staff meal or a fundraising event.
EARLY LIFE
Karen was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire and grew up a stone’s throw away surrounded by Aberdeen Angus cows, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats and a sizeable vegetable patch. Karen comes from a large, traditional Irish family so there was always plenty going on and family was always front and centre.
After leaving school, Karen headed to Portsmouth University where she studied Social Policy and Administration (incl Personnel Management), and while studying, met her future husband, Ben.
After graduating with a BA Honours degree and due to limited career prospects in the Portsmouth area, Karen and Ben moved to London where Karen embarked on her first HR role with Chubb Security. Over the next six years, Karen moved jobs twice. Firstly, to a recruitment role within the Chubb Security Moorgate office followed by another HR role with CIS Security, a family-owned security firm based in Lewisham, reporting directly to the MD. During this time, Karen undertook her CIPD at Greenwich University, qualifying in 2000.
Karen was now ready to head for new pastures, so she left CIS Security to take on a more senior HR role with the Royal Society. She reported directly to the Chief Executive and the Finance Director and spent eight years in this role modernising their people function and honing her HR craft.
Her next move was to work as part of the team at the Medical Protection Society’s (MPS) London office and within 18 months she was promoted to become the HR Director, reporting to the Chief Executive and leading the HR and L&D function for the three UK offices and two international offices in New Zealand and Australia. In each of Karen’s roles, she has always reported directly to the businesses’ senior leadership.
HEADING BACK TO WILTSHIRE
In 2011, Karen and her husband decided to move back to the Swindon area and settle in Marlborough, although she spent the next five years commuting back to London, Leeds and Edinburgh. Eventually, the travelling became too much as Karen spent too much time in the car and on trains, and not enough time with her husband and daughters. Something had to give, so she left the corporate world behind.
After leaving MPS, Karen decided to set up her own business as an Independent HR Consultant. This allowed her to work in sectors she'd never worked in including, two biotech startups, an engineering business, a research institute and even a scrap metal merchant.
IN HER SPARE TIME
Karen loves to travel (although she is a family orientated home bird by nature) and enjoys spending time with her family and friends as these are the most important things in her life - along with Paul Weller!
In 2020 the family took on a rescue dog named Fred who accompanies them on walks and generally joins in with anything the family do. Karen is professional, warm-hearted, has a terrific sense of humour, and takes great pride in her family and work.
