Lynne Watson
UK VP Human Resource
Lynne was appointed to the role of VP Human Resources in September 2017. She is responsible for delivering the UK People Strategy, ensuring that Thales in the UK attracts, develops and retains the best talent now and in the future.
Born and educated on the Clyde, Lynne turned down a place at University to study English Literature, choosing instead to join the Civil Service as an Apprentice, directly from school. Completing the apprenticeship with an HNC in Public Administration, Lynne then moved into the Financial Services industry progressing to Customer Service management. Lynne decided to work in Human Resources after ten years of managing large numbers of call centre teams. She completed her CIPD Diploma while expecting her first son, and found herself doing a job she loved as an HR professional.
Lynne joined Thales in the UK in April 2009, after having held senior HR positions across a number of sectors including Telecoms, Financial Services, FMCG and complex engineering. She joined directly from Cable & Wireless where she was Senior Business Partner to the Chief Operating Officer. Lynne has also worked for Pernod Ricard, National Australia Bank, Britannia Life and Cigna Healthcare.
Since joining Thales, Lynne has held positions mainly focused on people development, including Head of Learning Development for our UK land defence business and Director of Talent for Thales in the UK. As an avid promoter of diversity and inclusion, and being a working mum with two teenage sons, she lives in Glasgow and uses Thales in the UK’s ‘smart working’ practises to balance her life in and out of work.
Lynne is an avid rugby fan, supporting both the Glasgow Warriors and Scotland.