James Dickens

James Dickens has a substantial work experience spanning several companies and roles over the years. James is currently serving as the Chief People Officer at sk:n since March 2023. Prior to that, they worked as the Human Resources Director at Harmony Fire from November 2022 to March 2023. Before that, they held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer at Medivet The Vets from January 2018 to November 2022.

In their previous roles, James held positions at Halfords Autocentres, where they started as the Head of HR in September 2012 and was later promoted to People Director in November 2014. James played a pivotal role in building a team of 34 HR professionals, focusing on colleague engagement, retention, and technical training. James held this position until December 2017.

Before joining Halfords Autocentres, James worked as the HR Director at Oakam in 2012 and as the Head of Human Resources at Nandos from June 2010 to December 2011. At Nandos, they led a team responsible for all areas of the HR function, excluding Learning & Development, and helped design and implement an HR strategy aligned with business expansion.

James also served as the Group Retail HR Manager at Mothercare from November 2007 to June 2010, where their primary focus was integrating the Early Learning Centre into Mothercare. Additionally, they worked as a Retail HR Business Partner at Thresher Group from 2005 to 2007 and as a Divisional HR Business Partner at Waterstones from 2002 to 2005.

Overall, James Dickens has demonstrated expertise in various HR leadership roles, contributing to the growth and success of the companies they have worked for.

James Dickens completed their Bachelor of Arts Honors degree in Human Resource Management from Solent University from 1995 to 1998. Concurrently, they pursued studies in Human Resources at the Chartered Institute Personnel & Development from 1995 to 1997.