London, United Kingdom, June 2025 – Claire Parker has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer, Group HR at Legal & General, joining the People and Transformation Leadership Team. In this strategic new role, Claire will bring her broad HR Director experience to further evolve the employee experience across the organization. Her appointment marks another key leadership transition as Legal & General continues to invest in the development of its talented people.
In announcing the move, Emma Hardaker-Jones, Chief Transformation and People Officer at Legal & General, stated:
“Delighted to have Claire move into the COO role in our People and Transformation Leadership team. In Claire’s previous role as HRD for Retail, she was instrumental in the integration of our two retail businesses and supported our change of Retail CEO from Bernie Hickman to Laura Mason. Claire will bring her HR Director experience to the COO role, looking at how we can continue to evolve our employee experience. At L&G, we believe that leadership changes are a great way to continue to evolve our business as well as to develop our talented people. I think about it as passing the baton from one leader to another. A huge thank-you to Philip A. who led our HR COO function for several years, creating a strong foundation across HR. Phil has also made his own move to work with Katie Worgan, our new Group COO.”
Prior to this, Claire Parker served as HR Director for L&G Retail, where she was instrumental in the successful integration of the two retail businesses and guided the transition of retail leadership. Her tenure as HR Director Group Functions saw her lead people strategies across group operations, driving business alignment and organizational effectiveness.
Previously, Claire held the position of Senior HR Business Partner, Insurance at Legal & General, where she led critical HR initiatives to support the business’s growth and transformation. Her collaborative leadership style and focus on delivering high-impact HR solutions were evident throughout her work with various teams.
Before joining Legal & General, Claire built a distinguished career at Unilever over more than a decade, progressing through senior HR roles. She served as HR Director, UK & Ireland Sales, leading organizational design and talent management for the sales function, and as HR Director for major integration projects. She also held pivotal roles as European HR Manager, UK Recruitment Manager, and HR Project Manager, gaining diverse experience across recruitment, business partnering, and project leadership.
Claire’s early career began at Penguin Books Ltd (now Penguin Random House UK), where she served as HR Officer, building a solid foundation in HR operations.
About Legal & General:
Founded in 1836, Legal & General is a leading UK financial services group and a major global investor. With divisions focused on asset management, pension risk transfer, and lifelong customer relationships, Legal & General invests responsibly for the long term, delivering returns to shareholders while supporting wider society. United by a purpose-driven approach, the group continues to challenge itself to do more, in more places, and in more ways—building on its legacy as a trusted, responsible steward of capital.
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