Gill Hirst, HR Manager

My HR career started in the year 2000 when I was required to complete a year out in industry as part of my degree. I worked for a national telecommunications company, which gave me fantastic experience as they were going through a massive restructure. I continued to work there part-time throughout my final year of study and secured a permanent position with them after I qualified.

In 2003, I moved to the North East and started working for the former Chester-le-Street District Council in late 2004. I work as part of the team responsible for setting up Cestria and transferred with them when Cestria was formed in 2008.

I enjoy my job as HR Manager; at times it can be challenging but the people here are committed and passionate about what they do. I get to work on key projects designed to build capacity and drive performance improvement, which ultimately leads to better outcomes for our customers.