Wessex Branch

A very warm welcome to all our Members. We are an active Branch with just over 5000 members, covering the South of England. We have four geographical groups – Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth & Poole and Salisbury and Andover.

I am delighted to be the new Chair of the Wessex CIPD Branch from June 2019. As you may know, I have very big shoes to fill as Sue Heyes has stepped down. Fortunately, Sue is not going far as she will become the Vice Chair. Sue has done an amazing job over the last three years; keeping the Group Chairs connected, providing direction and navigating us around the changes that are occurring within the CIPD nationally and internationally.

This really is a very exciting time to be a member of the CIPD and in conjunction with all the developments and challenges that are facing our profession as a whole.

I am really looking forward to 2019 – 2020, as we have lots of great plans for all the Groups and the Wessex Branch as a whole. Next year we will be hosting a Wessex CIPD event at the Aegus Bowl on Friday the 6th March 2020. This will be a whole day;

• The morning will have some great HR thought Leaders delivering seminars on current HR developments. Speakers will be announced as soon as possible!

• In the afternoon we are delighted to have the Employment Law team from Blake Morgan delivering a Mock Tribunal.

• Refreshments and pastries in the morning, hot and cold buffet for lunch & refreshments and cake in the afternoon

This Wessex event, will give up to 200 CIPD members the opportunity to connect, network, focus on their own personal development and just catch up with their HR community. Do put it in your diary and keep your eyes peeled for when we announce the sale of tickets. We anticipate that the tickets will sell out quickly!

Please try to attend your local CIPD group events, these can be found on Eventbrite and within LinkedIn and Facebook with the individual Groups. These events provide a great forum to connect, collaborate and network with fellow professionals. The majority of the Wessex events we put on are FREE and also enable you to develop, gain new skills and be exposed to current HR and L&D developments.

I have a fantastic team behind me including Sarah Rowland who provides the administrative support function for the Branch and basically keeps us on the straight and narrow! All of the Committee members are volunteers and give such commitment and time selflessly. They all are working really hard to understand what their local CIPD members are looking for in terms of the events and also how they best engage with their members. Make contact with your local Group and let them know your ideas, thoughts and feedback. Also do get in contact if you are interested in being a volunteer.

You may have noticed the revised look of the Branch Newsletters. Please feel free to contribute to these newsletters if you have something to share; maybe a case study in your organisation, something you are proud of, your work promotion, successfully completing your CIPD studies, etc. We really want to celebrate success of our community members!! If you are not receiving these, please update your profile on your membership page on the CIPD website.

This year I believe we should focus on connectivity and bringing our members together, hearing what you want and delivering and engaging. As we all know, the HR and L&D Community are incredibly supportive and are an amazing profession. I know I am biased, but let’s celebrate and promote this and ensure we all benefit from our support and inclusivity.

I really look forward to meeting and connecting with you all very soon.

Jane Barry

Wessex Branch Chair

About us

The Wessex Branch covers Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and parts of Wiltshire. This area is serviced by four groups, each of which offers a programme of events designed to meet the varied needs of our members. The groups are:

Andover and Salisbury
Bournemouth, Poole and District
Portsmouth
Southampton

Andover and Salisbury

We are reasonably large group, but the membership covers a considerable geographical area. In order to ensure members from all areas have an opportunity to attend events we try to program delivery in several locations; thus to ensure access to those members with limited travel capability.

The committee is small but has a wealth of experience contained within. Students and members where possible are helped through networking at events and through LinkeIn and are always happy to help with the problem solving of issues, the profession regularly encounters. The events delivered cover where possible popular topics, where training is interactive and provided within a safe learning environment.

We look forward to welcoming all who attend the planned events. We very much hope the Continuing Professional Development opportunities offered by our group will enhance and add value to the skills portfolios for members.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Julie Sangster, Chartered MCIPD
Andover and Salisbury Group Chair

Bournemouth, Poole and District

Welcome to our group and we look forward to meeting you, when you are able to join us at an event.

Our events provide an opportunity to meet other HR professionals locally, and to continue to build your skills and knowledge, including new ideas and best practice over a wide range of topics and specialisms. Attendees are both experienced and those new to HR, including students studying for different level qualifications. We are always open to ideas for events so please let us know what would be of value for you.

Please contact us directly to introduce yourself and give our group an opportunity to welcome you personally. We have been working on increasing local engagement via the social media platforms so please find us there, or if you have specific questions please contact us via email: wessex@cipdbranch.co.uk.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Join us on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting you at an event soon.

Marion Hewitt Chartered FCIPD
Bournemouth, Poole and District Group Chair

Portsmouth

May I extend a very warm welcome to all of you on behalf of all Portsmouth CIPD Committee.

In the Portsmouth region we have over 1400 CIPD members, ranging from student up to Chartered Fellow.

We are very fortunate to have a very active committee who are keen to welcome new and existing colleagues to our events. Rest assured that a friendly face will be on hand to greet you, so if you have not been to an event before, please let us know and we will take special care of you.

There have been so many outstanding events which your committee have organised this year and my thanks go to them for their hard work. The good news is that we still have some excellent events to come!

Please do take a look at the events on Eventbrite and book your place. You can also see general updates on our Portsmouth CIPD LinkedIn and Facebook groups.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Join us on Facebook

Nicki Crowhurst
Portsmouth Group Chair

Southampton

Welcome to the CIPD Southampton Group.

With over 1400 members in the group, we are dedicated to supporting your professional development by offering opportunities to participate in events and share ideas, insights and good practice in an informal setting. We are very fortunate to have an enthusiastic committee who have been working hard to bring you a wide variety of topics and excellent speakers.

The details of all our events are on Eventbrite together with those from other groups within the Wessex Branch that may also be of interest.

We really appreciate your support at our FREE events to keep the group alive. Due to the cost of hosting these events, your commitment in attending once booked would be greatly appreciated, otherwise we may have no option but to look at charging for these events in the future. If you are no longer able to attend, please be sure to notify us by cancelling your place through Eventbrite.

Follow our LinkedIn page to keep up to date with our upcoming events and discussions.

We look forward to welcoming you to our events and thank you for your continued support.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Emily Bradbury, Chartered MCIPD
Southampton Group Chair