Birkenshaw woman appointed by train firm Northern as new People Director

Marks & Spencer executive, Lisa Leighton, from Birkenshaw, will join the company on Monday, January 16, and will be responsible for employee relations and recruitment.

Lisa will lead a renewed focus on overall employee experience and engagement through her extensive background in HR, with previous experience across telecoms, financial services and retail.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

Currently, the train operator has over 7,000 employees based across the region, including drivers, conductors, engineers, customer service and support staff.

Lisa will support the vast workforce throughout the North in her new role.

Commenting on her appointment, Lisa said: “The rail industry is going through a period of huge change and I look forward to working with colleagues at Northern to lead the way in the industry and build a new future for colleagues and customers.”

Outside of work, the new People Director is also a listening volunteer for the Samaritans, a suicide prevention charity with a long association with the rail industry.

Nick Donovan, Managing Director of Northern, said: “Lisa has an impressive track record at developing inclusive organisational culture and we’re excited to add her extensive skills and experience to our leadership team.”