Keith Watkinson

Executive Director of Human Resoures
 
Keith Watkinson is the Executive Director of Human Resources at the University. Keith joined Salford in 2007 and since then has implemented a HR framework to facilitate improvements to the way that colleagues at the University are managed and developed and their health, safety and wellbeing enhanced.

Keith has worked in Human Resources mostly within public sector organisations including North Yorkshire County Council, North Yorkshire Fire Brigade, Leeds City Council and Manchester City Council.

In 2000, he went to work for Manchester 2002 Limited, the organisers of the XVII Commonwealth Games – the largest and most successful sporting event ever held in this country. As Director of Workforce he was in charge of recruiting, training, uniforming and deploying a workforce in excess of 16,000 within two years that comprised paid staff, volunteers and contractors. Keith’s role involved setting up HR systems and processes from scratch to deliver the Games and then winding down the organisation after the Games.

After a period with Manchester City Council as Head of Human Resources within the Education department, in 2004 he was appointed to the role of Director of Personnel and Training at West Yorkshire Police Force, the fourth largest force in the country.

Keith was recruited to assist the Force improve its position of being in ‘special measures’ and under direct support from the Home Office. Through a variety of measures he improved the standing of the HR function from its ranking by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) of ‘fair and stable’ to being one of the best HR functions in the country within two years. In the same period the force’s performance improved to being ranked one of the ‘most improved’ and ‘one of the highest performing’ in the country.

Keith lives in Stockport, is married with two children and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.