Currys has appointed Caroline Hirst as its new Chief People Officer, effective September 28, 2026. Hirst will oversee the company’s People, Communications, and Sustainability teams as part of its executive leadership structure. She joined Currys in 2025 as Group Talent, Leadership and Learning Director. Her appointment builds on her experience across talent development, leadership, learning, and organizational change.
Talent Strategy Expands Under Caroline Hirst
Hirst brings more than two decades of senior people leadership experience from Diageo and Haleon. Her career has included responsibilities across multiple markets and complex organizational environments. At Currys, she has already led the company’s talent, leadership, and learning agenda. Her expanded role now brings those responsibilities into the wider people function.
Strengthening Leadership and Learning
Hirst’s experience has focused heavily on developing organizational capability and leadership pipelines. At Currys, her previous responsibilities included talent management, leadership development, learning, and organizational design. These areas remain important as companies develop internal capabilities while responding to changing business requirements.
Her appointment also expands the connection between people development and broader organizational priorities. Hirst will join Currys’ Executive Committee and report directly to Group Chief Executive Fredrik Tønnesen. Her remit includes the People function alongside Communications and Sustainability. This creates a wider leadership mandate covering employee development, organizational culture, and corporate priorities.
Currys has described Hirst as an experienced strategic partner to commercial and operational teams. Her background includes building talent capabilities, supporting organizational change, and developing workplace cultures. These responsibilities give the People function a direct connection with the company’s wider business agenda.
Building Capability Through People Development
Hirst has emphasized the importance of creating workplaces where employees feel trusted, included, and properly supported. Her approach combines organizational culture with leadership and learning initiatives. This reflects the increasing connection between employee experience and organizational capability.
Her appointment follows the departure of Paula Coughlan from the Chief People Officer role. Hirst succeeds Coughlan while taking responsibility for a broader set of functions. The transition gives Currys a people leader already familiar with its talent and learning priorities.
The appointment highlights how senior HR roles continue expanding beyond traditional personnel responsibilities. Talent development, leadership capability, organizational design, communication, and sustainability increasingly intersect within large organizations. Hirst’s expanded mandate places these areas within one executive portfolio.
For Currys, the appointment comes with an established understanding of its workforce and development priorities. Hirst can build on the talent and learning work she began after joining the company. Her new position places that experience at the center of Currys’ broader people agenda as the business continues developing its workforce and organizational capabilities.
