Talent & Succession Lead

Overview

Lead the design, implementation, and evolution of Howden's enterprise-wide talent and succession strategy
, ensuring strong leadership pipelines, internal mobility, and future-ready capability. Drive integration with related processes such as talent identification, development, executive assessment, DEI and talent acquisition, aligning all initiatives with business growth and transformation ambitions.

• Architect and embed a Group-wide approach to talent and succession
  , strengthening visibility, mobility, and readiness across all divisions.
• Establish governance, cadence, and reporting for succession planning, ensuring proactive risk management and leadership continuity.
• Integrate succession planning with talent identification, development, and acquisition processes
  , including the use of executive assessment in hiring decisions.
• Design and deliver initiatives that accelerate development and mobility of critical and emerging talent, leveraging technology, analytics, and inclusive practices.
• Build and engage a global community of talent and performance representatives, fostering collaboration and best practice sharing.

• Define and implement career frameworks that clarify progression, support cross-divisional movement, and enable enterprise-level workforce planning.

• Maintain and evolve the coaching and mentoring culture, curating partnerships and internal capability to embed sustainable practices.
• Oversee targeted learning interventions and leadership development aligned to business priorities.
• Support the creation and rollout of a skills framework that maps critical capabilities for current and future business needs.
• Partner with divisional and functional leaders to enable strategic workforce planning and agile talent deployment.
• Ensure skills data informs talent processes and career development pathways.
• Act as a strategic partner to senior stakeholders, connecting talent, succession, and leadership outcomes with commercial performance and cultural transformation.
• Lead change management and communication strategies for new talent initiatives.

• Establish clear metrics and reporting mechanisms to track progress, inform decision-making, and enable continuous improvement.
• Leverage talent analytics and technology platforms (e.g., Workday) to drive data transparency and evidence-based decisions.

• Champion inclusive design and DEI integration across all talent and succession processes, ensuring representation and psychological safety.
• Identify and pilot new talent interventions (e.g., leadership transitions, enterprise capability building) aligned to strategic priorities.

• Extensive experience implementing and managing talent and succession processes at scale in a global organisation
  , with strong connections to related processes such as talent identification, development, executive assessment, and talent acquisition.
• Proven track record in enterprise-level talent architecture and succession planning
  .
• Strong project management, stakeholder engagement, and change leadership skills.
• Expertise in talent analytics, technology enablement (e.g., Workday), and data-driven decision making.
• Deep understanding of DEI, leadership development, and organisational effectiveness.
• Experience building and leading communities of practice across geographies and functions.

• Successful rollout and adoption of talent and succession processes across all divisions.
• Improved visibility and readiness of leadership pipelines; reduction in critical succession risks.
• Increased internal mobility and career progression rates.
• Positive feedback from talent representatives and business leaders on clarity, impact, and usability of frameworks.
• Demonstrable uplift in capability, engagement, and diversity metrics.
• Documented process improvements and innovation pilots delivered annually.