Matthew Barstow
Global Employee Relations & HR Policy Lead @Flutter Entertainment
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WORK HISTORY
Global Employee Relations & HR Policy Lead @Flutter Entertainment
Leeds, GB
As the Head of Employee Relations, I lead the strategic direction and operational delivery of employee relations across a complex, multinational federate business of Flutter. I am responsible for overseeing all aspects of ER globally, ensuring consistent, fair, and legally compliant practices that support both employee wellbeing and business objectives.Key responsibilities include:Ownership and governance of global HR and employee relations policies, ensuring alignment with evolving legislative landscapes and organisational values.Leading on high-profile, sensitive, and senior-level exits and internal matters, balancing commercial risk with integrity and care.Providing expert employment law advice and risk assessments across multiple jurisdictions, collaborating closely with internal legal and business leaders.Governance and continuous improvement of ER templates, frameworks, and toolkits to drive consistency and operational excellence.Leading a high-performing global team of Employee Relations Managers and Partners, ensuring effective support and guidance across all regions.Driving the resolution of complex and escalated ER cases, change management initiatives, cultural integration projects, and organisational restructures across geographies.I am passionate about enabling an open, inclusive, and legally sound workplace culture through proactive and strategic employee relations leadership.
EDUCATION
SHL
Psychometric Testing A & B
City & Guilds
7303 & 1886 Teaching in the lifelong learning sector, L&D
CIPD Qualifications
CIPD Level 7 Learning & Talent Management Qualification, HR
Edinburgh Stevenson College
CIPD HR Qualification
CIPD Member
Human Resources
SKILLS
ABOUT MATTHEW BARSTOW
A seasoned Employee Relations leader with over 20 years of dedicated experience across a broad range of industries, including social care, security, entertainment & gambling & facilities. My career has been shaped by a deep specialism in employee relations, where I have successfully navigated highly complex people challenges, driven cultural change, and delivered commercial outcomes in alignment with business strategy.Throughout my career, I’ve built and led both large-scale operational ER teams and smaller, highly specialised expert functions. My leadership approach balances strategic insight with operational rigour, ensuring teams are equipped to provide pragmatic, risk-managed and commercially sensitive solutions to people-related issues. I have extensive experience in areas such as complex case management, industrial relations, policy design, dispute resolution, organisational change and employment law compliance.In addition to my core expertise in ER, I have a well-rounded HR background, having held roles that span Reward, Learning & Development, Organisational Design and broader HR services. This breadth of experience enables me to take a holistic view of the HR function and how it can drive business performance, employee engagement and sustainable organisational outcomes.I’m passionate about building high performing teams, mentoring future ER and HR leaders and shaping progressive people strategies that enable both individuals and organisations to thrive. I thrive in complex, fast-paced environments where thoughtful, well-informed counsel is required to balance risk, opportunity and people impact.Key Skills & Strengths: • Employee Relations Strategy & Execution • Complex Case Management & Dispute Resolution • Employment Law & Risk Mitigation • Industrial & Trade Union Relations (GMB, UNISON and CWU) • Organisational Change & Restructuring • Global HR Policy Development & Governance • HR Strategy & Business Partnering • Reward Strategy & Execution • Organisational Design & Development • Leadership & Team Development • Stakeholder Engagement & Executive InfluenceCIPD member (MCIPD) since 2013.
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