MEMBERSHIP INSIGHT
5 minutes with…
Elaine Gibson MSc, ChFCIPPdip, MCMI, FHEA Education director, CIPP
would not be able to make the difference I believe it makes. What does the future hold for payroll, pensions and reward? Payroll professionals have the most up-to-date and accurate data at their fingertips which is powerful as the data can be analysed to permit major business decision-making in such areas as, for example, implementing rewards, changing pension provider, provision of the financial data to support a redundancy situation, TUPE, systems benchmarking and implementation. I see payroll becoming more than paying people. Those in the profession are extremely knowledgeable and should be involved in any strategic decision- making related to the workforce, as such consideration can prevent significant financial impacts later. I think the time is close where payroll will be able to demonstrate added organisational value and raise its profile further – and so it should! What do you do in your available time to unwind? I like to spend time with my family and walk my two dogs. I enjoy socialising and good retail therapy sessions with my girlfriends. I also like to try and get away from it all, even if it is a weekend away. And as I write this I’m looking forward to a holiday in a cottage in the Scottish Borders with my husband and two dogs. n
Tell us about your career and background I’d intended to do ‘A’ levels but instead left school at age sixteen as a recession in the 1980s was in full swing – and jobs were like gold dust. My mathematics teacher recommended me for my first job with a firm of opticians – so far removed from payroll. Fast forward seven years and I was working for an accountants’ practice dealing with sole traders, small partnerships and limited company accounts. I was asked to cover the practice’s bureau payroll for ten clients which when I left had grown to over 100; I was well and truly hooked, and my payroll career was born. I then held a few payroll roles, with my last as payroll specialist for Carlsberg Tetley. When did you first become involved with the CIPP? Whilst running the clients’ payroll, I requested the practice sponsor me to undertake the Diploma in Payroll Management, now the Foundation Degree in Payroll Management. I was refused and
so moved on to an employer that would sponsor me, and I became a member of the Institute and a tutor. Obtaining the Diploma opened doors for me. I joined the CIPP as a trainer in 2003, becoming a senior policy and research officer in 2005 and undertook the MSc in Business and Reward Management. In 2011, the education I’d achieved enabled me to step into the role of associate director of professional education at which point, to complement this, I became a qualified lecturer in work- based learning. In 2016, I progressed to education director, responsible for implementing CIPP strategy across all business areas. What does your role mean to you? I’m passionate about payroll and playing my part in supporting and upskilling payroll professionals nationally. My current role allows me to make a difference. I have many opportunities to network and meet the individuals who make the CIPP what it is, as without our members, students, third party colleagues and tutors, the CIPP
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | November 2018 | Issue 45 8
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