Neil Barwise-Carr, former Head of People and Culture at Yorkshire Garden Centres, has been promoted to the position of Director of People and Culture to lead a team of 573 people across seven sites.  

YGC Chairman, David Stanhope, said: " Neil has been with the business for six years and, in that time, he has made a considerable contribution to the group. He joined when we had just the one site at Tong and quickly made his mark by launching all of our values, reward and recognition, inductions and appraisals. Neil then oversaw the recruitment of our team at our second site at Tingley, followed by the integration of the teams at Stephen H Smith, Dean's and latterly Dobbies Pennine as we acquired new businesses.

"We hope that Neil's promotion and appointment to the board continues to demonstrate our commitment to our team. Neil's voice at our board table will be a vital one, and he is there to champion our people."

Mr Barwise-Carr said: "After 22 years in the HR / People and Culture profession, I am proud and humbled to be promoted to Director of People & Culture at Yorkshire Garden Centres. 

"I've always worked hard to make a difference in every role, doing the often-invisible work that really drives change, growth, and engagement and shapes a business. I have grown the People and Culture function at YGC along with my fantastic team, who are an integral part of my success. I'm looking forward to having a voice on the board and shaping the future of our amazing teams at all seven sites."

The People and Culture Team has recently been announced as finalists in two categories of the British HR Awards, which celebrate organisations and individuals that are driven by delivering a world-class people experience.

The Yorkshire Garden Centres (YGC) group comprises Tong, Tingley, Otley and Bingley Garden Centres, Dean's York and Scarborough and the former Dobbies Pennine site at Shelley near Huddersfield.