HR expert brings franchise to Cornwall
A human resources expert with two decades of experience behind him is the first to bring a successful national franchise supporting UK SMEs to Cornwall.
Mike Talbot has launched The HR Dept Truro and St Austell, set up to provide outsourced HR advice and support to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
With offices already covering Plymouth, Torbay and Ivybridge and Exeter, he becomes the first HR Dept to launch in Cornwall. He will be supporting SMEs in an area covering Padstow to St Agnes on the north coast, and St Mawes to Fowey in the south.
The HR Dept is a UK-wide company with a network of 65 licensees providing outsourced services to more than 6,000 of the nation’s SMEs.
“Setting up my own business wasn’t part of a lifelong plan,” said Talbot. “Post Covid, I reassessed my priorities and realised that, with the positions I’ve held, now was the right time to make different life choices.”
Talbot started his career with IKEA in Bristol where he worked his way up to head of HR. From there, he was relocated to the company’s international flagship store in Wembley.
He then worked for Hillingdon Council in west London for 13 years, initially as head of HR before becoming corporate director where he enjoyed overseeing additional departments including legal services, communication, transformation and business performance.
“Working with the council was when I became hyper curious about businesses,” he said. “I dealt with a diverse range of services and people who all had different needs – from refuse collectors, to the army and solicitors.
“And from working in the culture-rich, relaxed environment of IKEA to the more corporate culture of the local authority, I’ve discovered that I no longer wanted to be tied to a single company and way of working but rather work for myself alongside a diverse range of people.
“I’ve realised that SMEs aren’t homogonous. They all have different needs, so you need a really personal relationship with them, and this is what really suits my personality.
“It’s an interesting time to be in HR and I am looking forward to immersing myself in the local business community and helping the passionate, entrepreneurial, spirted people of Truro and St Austell continue to run their own businesses.”
