Scottish care provider Meallmore has appointed Rachel Gothard to the newly created role of people and culture director, tasked with overseeing the employee experience for 1,700 staff members who work in Meallmore’s 26 care homes around Scotland.

Gothard previously worked at Baxters Food Group as head of HR for Europe, covering five manufacturing sites across Europe and the head office. She also spent 22 years at Tesco, where most recently she was group people manager in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, responsible for 4,000 staff.

Gothard said: “Meallmore has such a great reputation for providing exceptional care and that’s what initially attracted me to this role. The company has such a supportive environment and brilliant, family values which they really stick to. Since starting my new position, everyone has been so welcoming and I’m very glad to be part of the Meallmore family.

“At Meallmore, we pride ourselves on our excellent standards. I look forward to supporting team members in all departments – from caring and hospitality, to management and support colleagues – in their efforts to further develop the company’s aim of being a great place to live and a great place to work.”

Cillian Hennessey, Meallmore’s commercial director added: “We’re so glad to have Rachel on board at Meallmore. She’s sure to build on all that our company has achieved over its past 35 years to move forward our people agenda. We’ve always been committed to leading, supporting and improving our workforce, and that’s why we were thrilled to achieve the prestigious Investors in People gold accreditation in autumn 2021, demonstrating our commitment to our colleagues. In this industry, our people are crucial to what we do, and we are committed to making sure they get the best experience working with us, which also results in us getting the best out of them. With Rachel’s new role, she will build on this and beyond. We’re really excited to see what the future holds for all our staff across our care homes.”

Since opening its first care home, Daviot Care Home (formerly Meallmore Lodge) in Inverness in 1987, and today offers care for the elderly and mental health rehabilitation.