Ben Wimshurst
London
Summary
Strategic and commercially focused Human Resources (HR) leader with over 18 years of international experience spanning professional services, consulting, law, financial services, and global membership organizations. Proven track record partnering with executive and Partner-level leaders to deliver data-driven talent strategies, scale HR operations, and embed high-performance cultures in fast-paced, matrixed, and growth-oriented environments. Over the last decade, supported technology-oriented delivery teams in areas including artificial intelligence (AI) consultancy, software development, enterprise architecture, and data, enabling workforce strategies aligned to innovation and digital growth. Specialist expertise in global compensation and reward, talent management, and building high-performing teams, drawing on experience as Global Head of Reward to shape subsequent leadership roles. Recognised for leading complex global transformations, including office hub setups in Singapore, Poland, and Costa Rica, and for navigating multi-jurisdictional Employee Relations (ER), labour law, and compliance with strong governance. Bring a global perspective, operational depth, and proven ability to influence at the highest levels to deliver sustainable business impact.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Global Senior HR Business Partner
Clifford Chance
07.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: Leading global law firm
- Partnered with C-suite, practice heads, and technology-oriented delivery teams across a global matrix organization to drive talent strategies, aligning workforce planning with revenue goals across five regions.
- Managed and coached a global Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) team, embedding a high-performance culture and providing trusted HR advisory support to senior stakeholders.
- Led cyclical performance calibrations and promotion processes, reducing process complexity by 25% and improving consistency across regions.
- Oversaw redesign of performance management framework, integrating hybrid work considerations to improve employee engagement by 10%.
- Drove organizational review and redesign of a key practice area, enhancing team effectiveness and change capability for 200+ staff.
- Supported strategic hiring initiatives aligned to practice growth, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) objectives, and workforce planning, achieving 50+ hires in 6 months.
- Key Achievement: People lead on Chief Operating Officer (COO)-sponsored global transformation project, strengthening change and transformation capabilities in partnership with external consultants, impacting 1,000+ employees.
- Leading global law firm
HR Director
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
07.2020 - 07.2024
- Company Overview: One of the world’s leading global management consulting partnerships
- Directed people strategy across a global matrix organization spanning delivery and consulting practice areas including AI, software engineering, enterprise architecture, and data functions, supporting 150% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) growth.
- Managed and coached a team of HR Business Partners (HRBPs), acting as trusted advisors to senior stakeholders and business unit heads, driving workforce planning, talent strategy, and performance management initiatives for 1,200+ staff.
- Managed annual performance, promotion, and reward cycles worldwide for over 1,000 employees, closing identified gender pay gaps by 15% and strengthening succession planning for 50+ leadership roles.
- Spearheaded Agile transformation across two business units, improving cross-functional collaboration by 20%, and launched culture initiatives supported by HR analytics to assess organizational health and drive continuous improvement, increasing engagement scores by 12%.
- Oversaw consolidation of four business units, achieving 10% cost savings, enhancing organizational design, and enabling 150% FTE growth.
- Partnered with Learning and Development (L&D) to design and roll out Career Development Framework, job families, leadership development programs, and blended-learning manager training to strengthen the leadership pipeline for 100+ managers.
- Led strategic talent acquisition campaigns, successfully hiring over 200 key roles aligned to growth priorities, DEI objectives, and workforce planning within 18 months.
- Developed and executed HR strategies for high-growth environments, leveraging analytics to drive engagement, retention, and continuous improvement in global HR operations, reducing turnover by 8%.
- One of the world’s leading global management consulting partnerships
Global Head of Reward
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
03.2014 - 05.2015
- Company Overview: Global professional body for property and construction
- Designed and delivered global reward strategies, including a redesigned bonus scheme that improved regional engagement scores by over 15% across 10 regions.
- Led annual pay reviews, executive benchmarking, and pension oversight, reducing cycle time by 30% for 500+ employees.
- Supported Asia-Pacific (APAC) market entry by developing a reward framework that enabled talent acquisition of 30 key roles within 2 months.
- Carried forward global reward and compensation expertise into subsequent leadership roles, underpinning later success in scaling performance and talent frameworks.
- Global professional body for property and construction
Senior HR Manager, Business Partner
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
06.2012 - 03.2014
- Company Overview: Global professional body for property and construction
- HR lead for global functions; managed a team of three and rolled out global policies in new markets, supporting 400+ employees.
- Partnered on headquarters restructure, hub creation in Singapore and Poland, and new Human Resources Information System (HRIS) implementation, enabling expansion into China and Brazil with 50+ new hires.
- Global professional body for property and construction
- Continuous role progression within RICS from June 2012 to May 2015.
Business Partner
QBE Insurance Group
08.2009 - 06.2012
- Company Overview: Global top-20 insurer – Lloyd’s syndicates and general insurance
- HR lead for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) business; developed people strategy for large-scale transformation programs, impacting 800+ employees.
- Partnered with Accenture on restructuring, achieving over 80 role efficiencies, reducing headcount costs by 12%.
- Led HR due diligence and consultation during multiple Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) transactions across Europe, integrating 200+ employees.
- Introduced recruitment testing and training initiatives, optimizing hiring costs by 15% and improving hiring quality for 100+ roles.
- Global top-20 insurer – Lloyd’s syndicates and general insurance
HR Manager
Mitsui & Co
01.2006 - 02.2009
- Company Overview: Fortune Global 500
- Led HR initiatives for 300+ employees, improving retention by 10%.
- Fortune Global 500
HR Generalist
Reed
01.2006 - 02.2009
- Supported recruitment and onboarding for 150+ hires annually.
Education
Post Graduate Diploma - Human Resources Management
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
07-2010
BSc (Hons) - Business and Information Systems
Anglia Ruskin University
02-1996
Skills
- Workday
- Tableau
- SharePoint
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
- Webex
- Egnyte
- Trello
- HR policies and procedures
- HR analytics
- Diversity and inclusion
- Employee relations
- Workforce planning
- Employee engagement
- Strategic planning
Websites
Timeline
Global Senior HR Business Partner
Clifford Chance
07.2024 - Current
HR Director
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
07.2020 - 07.2024
Global Head of Reward
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
03.2014 - 05.2015
Senior HR Manager, Business Partner
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
06.2012 - 03.2014
Business Partner
QBE Insurance Group
08.2009 - 06.2012
HR Manager
Mitsui & Co
01.2006 - 02.2009
HR Generalist
Reed
01.2006 - 02.2009
Post Graduate Diploma - Human Resources Management
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
BSc (Hons) - Business and Information Systems
Anglia Ruskin University
Systems And Tools
- Workday
- Tableau
- SharePoint
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
- Webex
- Egnyte
- Trello
Personal Information
Nationality: British
Hobbies and Interests
- International travel
- Youth rugby coaching (leadership and teamwork)
- Motorsport
- Cooking
- Walking
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