New HR Head for Cobbetts

Mark Thompson has joined leading law firm Cobbetts as Head of HR & Business Improvement.

Mark, 46, from Milnrow in Lancashire, has a background in the retail and leisure sectors. His last role was as commercial director of Rosebys, where he initially had responsibility for store operations and HR and latterly for HR and corporate projects. While at Ethel Austin, Mark was part of the management team that took the company from its family ownership to being a venture capital-backed business. His earlier career at Holidaybreak and Ladbrokes also gave him exposure to a variety of line management and HR roles, including European experience.

Commenting on his appointment at Cobbetts, Mark said: ìI was impressed by what Cobbetts has achieved and the firmís ambitious plans for the future growth and development of the business. The firm is very clear about exceeding client expectations through the quality of its relationships, both internal and external, and this puts people and their abilities right at the centre of its strategy. This gives HR a great responsibility and opportunity to impact on the continued growth and success of the business.î

Michael Shaw, Cobbetts managing partner, added: ìMarkís experience in the consumer sector was very attractive to us as it will give us a different perspective on our HR strategy. The business improvement element of the role will be to review and implement strategies to ensure we have a strong offering to both our existing people and the marketplace, ensuring that we acquire and retain the staff we want to build our business for the future. This is an exciting time for the firm.î