Sandhya Iyer of the HR Dept welcomed onto the board of the Sevenoaks and District Chamber of Commerce.

Human resources expert Sandhya Iyer has joined the Board of Directors at the Sevenoaks and District Chamber of Commerce.

This appointment completes the make-up of the Board, which serves more than 200 business members in the area.

Sandhya Iyer of The HR Dept has joined the board of the Sevenoaks & District Chamber of Trade

Sandhya is the director of The HR Dept Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, and Tunbridge Wells, which provides outsourced HR advice and support to SMEs in and around the district. She launched her business in December 2017 when she set up following high level corporate roles in India, Singapore, and London.

“It has been a great three years,” Sandhya said, “and being appointed to the Board of the Chamber is something I’m really proud of. During the current crisis I have been offering support through workshops and, more widely, on HR and employment practices to Chamber members of all business size and structure. It has been crucial to help them continue trading without worrying whether their approach towards staff is legally compliant, with well-rounded support from an HR and a health and safety perspective,

“I am now looking forward to continuing to support the Chamber through a period of many unknowns and working closely with the team on a way through future challenges. My business has gone from strength to strength over the past three years and, with the combination of my previous corporate experience and the work I’ve done with local SMEs across different sectors, I feel like I have a lot to offer.”

Sandhya’s appointment was welcomed by Julie Phillips, CEO of the Sevenoaks Chamber, who said that the Board is now at capacity with eight members. Other Board members include: Andrew Raby, senior partner at solicitors firm Thackray Williams; Sharon Field, head of corporate and social responsibility at FM Conway; Katrina Walker, business development manager at Warners Solicitors; chairman Nick Brooker from Handelsbanken; treasurer Kirsteen Allen from KA Consult; and Gareth Walters from private medical firm WPA.

Julie said: said “We are delighted to welcome Sandhya to the Board of the Chamber and feel she is the perfect complement to our current skillset. Our appointment to an eight-strong board demonstrates that the Chamber is committed to developing our member offering, to ensure the right level of support is offered post-Covid with workshops, information, networking, and promotional opportunities.

“Having our full complement of board directors will help us to steer the Chamber in a positive manner and enable us to respond to the unpredictable business climate.”

Born in India and with a specialist MBA in Human Resources Management from Mumbai University, complemented by a UK Graduate membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Sandhya’s corporate life took her to offices in Bangalore and London, focusing on employee relations and the day-to-day application of employment law to dynamic work environments.

But it was when working for a pre-school in Singapore, as part of her graduate membership qualification for the CIPD that her appetite for working with smaller organisations was whetted.

During the past three years her business has grown significantly as she has supported clients in all areas of staff management, particularly during the coronavirus crisis.

She has also become involved in community life in the Sevenoaks area – not just within the business community but by sponsoring local events, such as jazz concerts at the Sevenoaks Summer Festival last year and local family and women-based charities.