HR Magazine
Katie Jacobs , 16 Sep 2013
Neil Morrison played a major role in the merger of Penguin Random House, which saw him promoted to group HRD. He talks about the biggest challenge of his career to date, and why he’s on a mission to make HR sexier
A lawyer once called Neil Morrison the “most dangerous man in HR”. It’s a description that still pleases him, although the reason for the condemnation – speaking out against social media policies – amuses and grates in equal measure. “Being a dangerous HR person because you don’t have a policy goes to show how poor our profession is,” he says. “If that’s dangerous, God help us.”
It’s not the only time Morrison, winner of HR director of the year in the HR Excellence Awards 2013, is openly critical of his chosen profession during our interview. In person – as on Twitter and his popular, provocative blog Change Effect – he’s not shy about expressing his frustrations about HR’s shortcomings. But while he might feel the function needs a shake-up, things couldn’t be going better for him professionally.
After five years as HR director at publishing giant Random House, which he joined in 2008 after stints at Rentokil and Argos, he’s just played a leading role in steering the company through the most significant merger in recent publishing history. On 1 July, Random House, which published global bestsellers including The Da Vinci Code and Fifty Shades of Grey, merged with Penguin, home to authors including Zadie Smith and William Boyd, to form the world’s biggest publisher. Penguin Random House brings together more than 10,000 staff across the globe.
Morrison has just been promoted to group HR director, UK and international, reporting to CEO Tom Weldon, the former UK chief executive of Penguin. “It’s the biggest challenge of my career to date, and probably will be the biggest challenge of my career ever,” he says. “I’m swinging between being totally energised and bouncing around like a little boy, and having a moment with the door closed when I feel quite sick about the whole thing.”
- See more at: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hr/features/1078348/neil-morrison-penguin-random-house-merger-sexing-hr#sthash.rcQG7Bmf.dpuf
It’s not the only time Morrison, winner of HR director of the year in the HR Excellence Awards 2013, is openly critical of his chosen profession during our interview. In person – as on Twitter and his popular, provocative blog Change Effect – he’s not shy about expressing his frustrations about HR’s shortcomings. But while he might feel the function needs a shake-up, things couldn’t be going better for him professionally.
After five years as HR director at publishing giant Random House, which he joined in 2008 after stints at Rentokil and Argos, he’s just played a leading role in steering the company through the most significant merger in recent publishing history. On 1 July, Random House, which published global bestsellers including The Da Vinci Code and Fifty Shades of Grey, merged with Penguin, home to authors including Zadie Smith and William Boyd, to form the world’s biggest publisher. Penguin Random House brings together more than 10,000 staff across the globe.
Morrison has just been promoted to group HR director, UK and international, reporting to CEO Tom Weldon, the former UK chief executive of Penguin. “It’s the biggest challenge of my career to date, and probably will be the biggest challenge of my career ever,” he says. “I’m swinging between being totally energised and bouncing around like a little boy, and having a moment with the door closed when I feel quite sick about the whole thing.”
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