Senior living provider Orchard Care Homes has appointed Jo Stratford-Smith as director of people and talent, joining the company’s senior leadership team and reporting directly to chief executive Hayden Knight.

Orchard Care Homes operates homes in the North of England and the Midlands.

Stratford-Smith previously worked at Four Seasons Health Care, where she directed HR strategic initiatives across 260 sites affecting 16,500 employees.

Knight said: “Jo is passionate about making a difference to the lives of those most vulnerable within our society and is committed to working alongside our operational teams here at Orchard to enable the delivery of quality care. Her immediate focus will, of course, be to ensure business continuity throughout and beyond the current pandemic, collaborating closely with her colleagues over the coming weeks to facilitate this.”

Stratford-Smith added: “A key part of my role will be to continue to attract, develop and retain the right people within an increasingly competitive market; people who share our passion for delivering high-quality, person-centred care across our homes. The roll out of our new career progression pathways initiative, designed to create a stronger and more incentivised workforce, will be key to this. As an industry, we need to invest in our people, acknowledging their dedication and rewarding them with realistic opportunities and achievable goals to build a long and happy career in the care sector.”

Abigail Hobden-Bada, head of corporate services practice at Compass Executives, advised on the appointment.