Thought leader

The ring-savvy unions at BBC News have a new sparring partner. Dale Haddon, Deputy Director, Group HR, Royal Mail, 51, moves from joint custody of some 150,000 employees with sunny smiles and honed driving skills, to HR Director for a dwindling number of hacks in semi-permanent dispute with boss James Harding.

He's an "HR leader with expertise in developing strategy, leading major change and engaging people, resulting in improved business performance in tough, complex environments. Trusted by CEOs and Board Directors as a principled advisor, particularly adept on senior people issues. A resilient leader, known for attracting talented people and building high performing teams; the driving force leading multi-million pound change programmes; and a highly skilled employee relations thought leader and negotiator."

He's been a Royal Mail personnel lifer so far, with a short spell as area manager for Cleveland, rising in 2007 to Interim Group Director of HR. (For HR anoraks, 2007 was the year Gillian Alford left the BBC to become Head of Industrial Relations for the Royal Mail).  Dale and his psychologist chum Alan Bourne are joint authors of a 2009 paper, "An evidence-based approach to HR strategy".