A management role focused on developing the leadership qualities of its employees has been created at an employee-owned group of businesses.
Karen Kelso has been promoted to the newly created position of Head of People Strategy & Organisational Development at Cumbria-based WCF to support the company’s continued growth by ensuring the right people are in influential positions across the business.
WCF operates 10 businesses across 25 sites nationwide and has a long-standing reputation for combining commercial success with a people-focused approach.
Karen, who has worked at the company since 2019, has been pivotal in attracting talent to WCF over the years, and was instrumental in WCF this year completing a hat-trick in the prestigious Great Place to Work listings. The company was named as one of the UK’s best large businesses overall, an excellent workplace within retail, hospitality and leisure and a business which provides great opportunities for women.
Her new role will build on this success and help futureproof WCF by developing the capabilities of its 370 employees through the implementation of additional leadership training, ongoing career development and internal and external training programmes.
Karen said: “This is an exciting time for WCF. Our people have always been at the heart of our success, and I’m passionate about helping individuals reach their full potential.
“By investing in leadership development and creating clear pathways for career progression, we can build a stronger, more resilient business model that is well positioned for the future.
“I love having a positive impact on people’s working lives. We have put a lot of effort into creating a work culture where every one of our 370 employees feel valued and listened to, and by implementing the same approach across all our sites, we want to build on that feeling of pride about working for WCF.”
She added: “The workplace is changing rapidly. Technology and AI are becoming increasingly important in how businesses operate, and this makes investing in people and organisational development more important than ever.
“We believe that the businesses that succeed will be those that combine the opportunities presented by new technology with great leadership, strong teams and people who are equipped and confident to adapt to change.
“As an employee-owned business, evolving and developing our team’s capabilities is particularly important. Technology can help us become more efficient and make better decisions, but ultimately it is our team, their judgement, ideas and leadership that will determine our long-term success.”
Karen will work alongside the senior leadership team to help deliver WCF’s long-term ambitions by creating people-focused strategies including workforce support, organisational structure and improved leadership capability.
Headquartered in Brampton, Cumbria, WCF operates across the UK and its operations range from national mail order shopping brands, three five-star camping and glamping sites, oil distribution, WCF Pet & Equestrian retail stores, and e-commerce businesses which offer garden and landscaping products.
Karen said: “When you have several different businesses across 25 sites, you never get two days the same. One day you will be working with the fuels division, then a campsite and then a clothing brand, so you must adapt and understand each business’ challenges.
“But people are people and they have their own ambitions, expectations and personalities, and I’m excited to work with the team and ensure we continue to be a great place to work, and everybody feels they have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.”
Established in 1911, WCF is a family of businesses operating across the UK in the leisure, retail and logistics sectors.
