Eton Bridge Podcast

Elaine Grell, Global HR Director and Chief People Officer, has worked in HR for over 20 years in organisations such as British Airways, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and The Collective.

Elaine is passionate about people and is a Trustee for The Springboard Charity - helping young people achieve their potential. She is a mentor for aspiring HRDs at the CIPD, as well as a mentor for WiHTL - Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure.

Elaine shares her experiences with Gavita Phull, Associate Partner within our Executive Search Finance practice, of growing up in Preston, Lancashire to parents who came over from the Caribbean in the 1950s who were often in the ethnic minority. Elaine and her 4 siblings were raised solely by her mother, who shaped who she is today and is a huge inspiration to her. Elaine started her career at 16 in a Travel Agency straight from high school, then when she was 18, when British Airways offered her a job in London which laid the foundation of her impressive career as a senior HR professional and mother of two.

Since the recording of this interview, very sadly The Collective have gone into administration citing reduced occupancy levels caused by the pandemic.

Nimesh is first generation born in the U.K. and the first in his family to have a career in finance and investment banking. His parents immigrated from India and East Africa and he grew up in Croydon with a modest upbringing where attitudes to open discrimination weren’t as rare as they are today.

Nimesh is an experienced Chief Financial Officer, currently at Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc. Before joining the Group in 2020, he was Chief Financial Officer of the De Beers Group and prior to that, he was Group Head of Corporate Finance at Anglo American plc, leading a team based in London and Johannesburg. Previously, Nimesh spent 14 years in investment banking at both JP Morgan and as a Managing Director at UBS.

He is also a Trustee at ReachOut UK, a charity which supports and mentors young people.