Yell Group plc : Yell appoints Linda Kennedy to new role of Group Human Resources Director

Yell appoints Linda Kennedy to new role of Group Human Resources Director - 16 January 2012

Yell today announces the appointment of Linda Kennedy to the new role of Group Human Resources Director. Linda will lead organisational change and support the integration of Yell's global business in the UK, US, Spain and some countries in Latin America, at a time of rapid transformation.   

She joins Yell from UK mobile operator Everything Everywhere, the joint venture between Orange and T Mobile, where she held the role of Chief Change Officer reporting to the CEO and delivered the integration of the two businesses. Previously, Linda was Group HR Director at international service company Serco where amongst her responsibilities was the development of a people strategy and the implementation of a new leadership and talent management framework. 

Prior to joining Serco, Linda was Global HR Director at Williams Lea, the corporate information solutions business, working directly with the CEO and management team on people strategy and delivery. In previous leadership HR roles, she has had extensive experience in company turnarounds, business mergers and reorganisations.

Based at Yell's corporate headquarters in Reading, UK, Linda will report to Mike Pocock, Yell's Chief Executive Officer. She will be responsible for building a group-wide HR capability to support the executive group and deliver organisational change.

Linda joins Yell as it undergoes rapid transformation from its established position in providing print and online advertising for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become a leader in the emerging local eMarketplace. The eMarketplace comprises an innovative platform and digital portal where consumers and SMEs can connect and transact.

Mike Pocock said: "Linda has wide experience working within large global businesses to help them reshape their organisational structures, drive integration at a time of essential transformation and to develop talent. Her expertise and insight will be invaluable in helping ensure that Yell delivers successfully on its new strategy."

Linda Kennedy said: "Yell is in the midst of a very challenging, exciting programme of wide change as it rapidly develops its business proposition to address new markets.

"The building of the right organisation and developing a global HR function to support the new business strategy is fundamental to Yell delivering on its new direction and I am delighted to be joining Yell to drive that process."

About Yell
Yell Group is a leading provider of digital services within the emerging local eMarketplace for consumers and SMEs across its operations in the UK, US, Spain and some countries in Latin America.

Building on its strong presence in the local market through its current digital and print portfolio, Yell is developing a broad range of digital services tailored to the converging needs of SMEs and consumers.

These address both the SMEs' need to grow, transact and be efficient in the digital world, and the consumers' need to connect locally to the goods and services they want, in a way which saves them time and money, and moves their lives forward.

In the year ended 31 March 2011, Yell Group had 1.3 million SME customers.