MYCIPP
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undertook the Pitman’s Microsoft Office Specialist qualification. After successfully passing this qualification, I walked into the IPPM’s (a CIPP forerunner) office in Hockley Heath on 14 August 2006 as a very nervous marketing temp. It was a very busy time as within six weeks the Institute became simply ‘IPP’. I became a permanent member of the team in March 2008 and both the Institute and I haven’t looked back since. I took on my current role in April 2020. What does your role mean to you? I am passionate about the Institute and its members. The values the company hold are important to me and I use them as a standard in my work. As membership manager, it is essential that I keep abreast of what is happening in the profession so that the CIPP continues to meet the needs of its members. My experiences at the Institute shape how I work with internal and external stakeholders. I love attending events, in particular the Annual Conference and the Graduation Ceremony, and am looking forward to when we can all meet face to face. What do you think you can bring to the future strategy of the CIPP? There have been lots of changes to the Institute during my time here. I think that the experiences I have had in marketing and business operations allow me to contribute ideas, participate in project
teams and generally contribute to the success of the CIPP. By meeting the members and discussing their issues, reading legislation updates and attending industry events, I am confident that I can bring a positive contribution to the CIPP’s strategy. What does the future hold for payroll, pensions and reward? I was asked this question in 2018 and who would have guessed the trials and tribulations that 2020 and 2021 would bring. There have been many challenges and the profession has risen to meet them all head on. If you look how far the industry has come since I received my first brown envelope, prepared by another member of staff with no training or real knowledge, there is no doubt in my mind that with the advances of technology, a Chartered body to represent you, and an ever-changing and challenging workforce, there will be exciting times ahead. What do you do in your available time to unwind? When I am away from the office, I am a keen watcher and reader of fantasy and science fiction. I enjoy technology and am probably known as a bit of a geek when it comes to a certain brand of phones, tablets and laptops, as I have the whole range. Family is hugely important to me and as a proud (but very young, of course) grandma, I love spending time with them as it gives me a renewed outlook on life. n
Dawn Baxter ACIPP CIPPmembershipmanager
Tell us a little about your career and background. I have had a varied background along with a career break to have a family, but my experience was predominantly in retail management. I started, in the distant past of 1980, on a youth trainee scheme at a local chemist, where I was paid £23 a week in cash, with a handwritten payslip. I soon progressed to cashier and window-dresser at Etam in Birmingham. Along the way, I have been a store manager for some big names – including River Island and Laura Ashley – and achieved my career goal in 1998 of becoming store manager in the largest Mexx outside London, where I managed forty staff, three clothing departments and a huge stockroom.
When did you first become involved with the CIPP?
In 2005, I decided the long hours of retail were not for me so chose to retrain and
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward |
Issue 73 | September 2021
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