Vanessa Blackburn is a Partner at Page Executive, specialising in senior HR and People leadership appointments across the UK. She focuses on Chief People Officers, CHROs, HR Directors, and functional leaders in Talent, Learning, DEI,
Employee Relations, and Organisational Development, as well as broader executive and non-executive roles where culture and transformation are key.
While her remit is UK-based, Vanessa brings extensive global experience from over 20 years in executive search and senior HR leadership. She has successfully delivered C-suite and senior appointments across EMEA, North America, and Asia Pacific, enabling her to connect clients to international networks and collaborate with colleagues worldwide to support cross-border growth.
Her career includes leadership roles at American Express, Nike, Esprit, and Europcar, where she partnered with C-suite leaders on talent, organisation design, and inclusion strategies. Vanessa is known for her pragmatic, relationship-led approach and is trusted by CEOs and Boards as an advisor on succession planning, team effectiveness, and market mapping.
A CIPD member with expertise in psychometric assessment, Vanessa is passionate about inclusive leadership and widening access to senior opportunities. Based on the south coast, she is an active advocate for under-represented communities.
Industry
Industry
- Consumer & Retail
- Life Sciences
Function
Function
- Board Level
- CEO – Chief Executive Officer
- CHRO – Chief Human Resources Officer
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Human Resources
Recent Track Record
- CPO in PE backed IoT global organisation
- CPO in Global Utilities PE backed organisation
- HRD in top 5 Global Broadcast Media Company
- Regional CPO in Fortune 100 Restuarant organisation
- Regional HRDs in FTSE 100 FMCG organisation
- Future of Work Leader and Specialist in Fortune 100 FMCG
- Regional CPOs for a Fortune 500 global logistics and shipping organisation
- HR Directors for FTSE 20 Pharmaceutical company
- Organisational Development VP for FTSE 20 pharmaceutical company
- Senior HR Data Analytics VP for European owned, global life sciences company
Testimonials
I had the privilege of collaborating with Vanessa, and it was nothing short of fantastic. Vanessa's expertise and dedication shone through in every interaction we had. She made my candidate experience seamless and truly enjoyable. Vanessa is not only highly knowledgeable but also incredibly approachable and responsive. Working with her was a breeze, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. If you're looking for a top-notch recruiter, Vanessa is the one to go to! Kenza Irbah, ,
I recently had the opportunity to work with Vanessa from April 2021 to October 2021. I was the candidate Vanessa was trying to place for some Senior HR roles in UK and Europe for large corporations. I will highly recommend Vanessa be your partner if you are looking for a Senior HR role. Her key strengths are: 1. Communication: Vanessa's communications were clear, on-time and precise. Before every conversation, she will send detailed notes that helped me immensely to prepare for my upcoming conversations. Vanessa also organised a call prior to the interviews and tried her best to answer any questions I may have as a candidate. 2. Feedback: Vanessa would promptly provide feedback after each conversation. At times, I have got a quick email from Vanessa on a Friday afternoon telling me about the hiring manager's feedback so that I am not stressed during the weekend. I have found out that not a lot of recruitment partners practice that. 3. Matching roles with candidates: Vanessa will not bring any role to you, she thinks through about the role's candidate specification and the particular candidate's specs. She presents the role to you only when they are a good match. I wish Vanessa all the success for her future assignments. Sheikh Tashfeen, Islam Chartered, MCIPD
