Caroline Rowland named as Zellis Group’s CPO: ‘Connection between purpose and employee experience is critical’

Zellis Group, an HR and payroll software company, has named Caroline Rowland as its new Chief People Officer (CPO).

The news comes just eight months after the company announced the acquisition of Benify, an employee benefits administration software provider.

Rowland said in a statement: “The connection between purpose and employee experience is critical, along with fostering connections between colleagues, teams, to the work, our brands, and the company.”

To find out more, UNLEASH spoke exclusively to Rowland.

Creating value while Zellis Group is in “high-growth mode”

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Rowland has made the move to Zellis Group from Exscientia Ltd, with the focus of driving organizational growth through innovative people strategies.

Talking about her new role, Caroline Rowland says exclusively to UNLEASH: “Joining Zellis is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a business with tremendous momentum.

My priority will be developing people strategies that both drive our ambitious growth agenda and ensure our team members thrive.

“I’m passionate about establishing meaningful connections across the organization, between individuals, teams, and our broader purpose, as these relationships are fundamental to both organizational success and individual fulfilment.”

She will be taking the reins from the company’s former CPO, Caroline Drake, who will be stepping down from the role in June after more than six years with the organization. 

Rowland and Drake have been working together at the company since April, to ensure a seamless handover is provided.

When reflecting on her time at Zellis Group, Drake noted that it was an “immense privilege” to be part of the company’s transformation, in which she helped shape a “vibrant, value-driven culture”. 

As Drake hands over responsibility to Rowland, company CEO John Petter expressed he is “thrilled” to welcome her to Zellis, emphasizing Rowland’s “deep HR experience and passion for fostering strong organizational culture” that will be instrumental to Zellis Group. 

Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH, he says: “Caroline brings precisely the expertise and passion we need as we embark on this next phase of innovation and expansion.

Her impressive background across multiple sectors will provide fresh perspectives as we strengthen our talented team and pursue our ambitious growth objectives.” 

Stay tuned for more updates.