Talent2 announces global renewed business focus and rebranding

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. today announced the promotion of Tom Blodgett to chief operating officer of all commercial operations. Tom Burlin, will serve as chief operating officer for all government operations, with a focus on the company's expanding public sector business. Together, Blodgett and Burlin will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of ACS.
 

The HROA has issued its final criteria for the 2008 HROA Awards. Nominees and award winners will be honored at the Fourth Annual HROA Awards Gala in New York on April 16, 2008 at the New York Hilton & Towers in conjunction with HRO World New York.  
 

Fidelity Investments said it has won an expansion of its relationship with The Hartford Financial Services Group to include HR administrative services, payroll, workforce, and talent management functions. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

U.K.-based retail chain Somerfield has awarded payroll specialist Ceridian a seven-year HRO deal.
 
Under the terms of the contract, Ceridian will provide HR services covering about 17 processes, including payroll and people information services, for 44,000 employees in 900 stores across the U.K. As part of the agreement, about 41 employees of Somerfield are likely to be transferred to Ceridian.

American Airlines has awarded a 7.5-year, $217 million contract to IBM to overhaul its HR functions, according to GlobalSourcingNow.com.

IT services company Xansa has signed a multi-million dollar, five-year deal to provide HR outsourcing services to Lloyds TSB.

Around 150 staff in Xansa's Indian facilities will provide Lloyds TSB's HR services, including administration, recruitment and taking over existing helpdesks for training, advice, guidance and general queries

UK staff will now be able to concentrate on face-to-face support, policy guidance and other specialist HR services to employees and line managers, according to the company.

In one of the largest enterprise, end-to-end HRO contracts ever, Unilever said it has finalized terms with Accenture to provide a broad range of HRO services ranging from recruitment to payroll processing and performance management in 100 countries. The seven-year agreement covering 200,000 global workers—estimated by one industry advisor at $1.04 billion (around €800)—will begin in July, but the companies declined to disclose financial terms.

IBM Japan today will transform and manage SANYO Electric Group's HR and payroll functions under a new contract. It’s part of the client’s corporate reform project and follows an outsourced skills development contract signed last December.

The subject of leadership goes to the root of organized human behavior.  Throughout history, no great endeavor has been accomplished without leadership.  Since 1988 when HRI began conducting its major issues surveys of many of the top companies in the world, leadership has been ranked among the top five issues and is expected to remain a top issue 10 years into the future.  But leaders don’t spring into the world fully formed.  They need to be trained and developed, whatever their natural talents.  <