Human resources outsourcing specialist The HR Dept has appointed Sam Ali as the managing director of its franchise covering Bath.
Sam, pictured, has already set the ambitious target of boosting revenue by 50% during her first year in charge of the HR Dept Bristol, Bath and North Somerset – the group’s original, and largest, franchise. 
She also plans to spearhead a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion at the company, which has both its head and its local franchise offices at Longwell Green, near Bristol.
The Muslim, single mother-of-two hopes her appointment can play a part in promoting racial equality in the workplace.
She said: “It’s been a long journey to get here and I’ve had to overcome many hurdles and barriers during my time.
“I know that I’ve missed out on opportunities because of my ethnicity and being a woman, as well as because of the perceptions and assumptions some people have had of me as a single mum.
“So I’m delighted that The HR Dept has looked past those features of my life, as well as seeing past my headscarf, to understand who I am, to appreciate my expertise and the knowledge I can bring to the business.
“I’m pleased to have been appointed on my merits and it’s an honour to be working for such a well-established company with a great reputation in Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas.
“The company’s open to change, feedback and constructive criticism and I’m excited about helping it move forward.”
Sam joins The HR Dept having worked in a variety of specialist business development roles in HR, advertising, management consultancy and marketing in the South West and Wales, including South West business development manager for the EEF and as business development lead at Bath management consultancy Achieve Breakthrough. 
She is also an ambassador for Women’s Aid and is a board member at the National Trust, where one of her project streams is to increase inclusivity at the organisation.
She added: “By achieving this role with The HR Dept, I want to show that it is possible for younger women from the BAME community not to feel restricted.
“I want them to know that the opportunities are out there with the right employers. This appointment is an example of the ways that attitudes are changing.
“For the business itself, I want to introduce new technologies, new ways of working, a complete shift in culture change so that we’re at the forefront while increasing revenue at the same time.”
The HR Dept has a network of 75 franchisees operating in 112 territories, with 11 in Australia and the rest based across the UK and Ireland.
It provides outsourced, practical HR advice and support to more than 6,500 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK alone.
The Bristol, Bath and North Somerset franchise was the first to be set up in 2005, three years after the original business was founded by Sue Tumelty in 2002.
Mrs Tumelty remains executive director of the business. She said she was excited about Sam’s appointment – not just for the franchise but for the UK-wide network as a whole.
“With Sam’s appointment I see it being a centre of excellence moving forward, a flagship for our company for things like innovation, R&D, to lead the rest of the network by example,” she added.
“Sam also has a valuable role to play in contributing to the overall commercial strategy for The HR Dept as we look to work with bigger and national clients, developing partnerships in the city which can demonstrate the potential for the company nationwide.”
