Experienced HR and Recruitment Professional with a Diverse Background in Hospitality, Healthcare, and More
With a career spanning over 30 years, I have honed my expertise in hospitality, healthcare, retail, and the charity sector. My journey began in hospitality, managing bars, kitchens, and restaurants with Whitbread and the Restaurant Group. I then joined Coffee Republic, diving into the coffee revolution and focusing on HR in a rapidly growing high street sector.
Transition to Healthcare: Barchester Healthcare
My career took an exciting turn when I joined Barchester Healthcare, a leading provider of care homes. At first, the move seemed unconventional to my friends. However, the HR challenges were strikingly similar. These included managing hourly schedules and dealing with anti-social hours. They also involved maintaining tight margins. Additionally, there was the challenge of addressing historically low retention and employee engagement rates.
I served as the HR Director for over a decade. I also worked as the Marketing Director for five years and played a pivotal role in Barchester’s growth. The company expanded from 70 to over 200 care homes, and our workforce grew from 3,000 to 17,500 employees. Under my leadership, Barchester became the first care home group to earn the title of Sunday Times Best Big Company to Work For. We received this accolade six times.
Expanding Horizons: Bright Horizons and City and County Healthcare
Following my tenure at Barchester, I held HR Director roles in early years education with Bright Horizons and in domiciliary care with City and County Healthcare. In 2018, I ventured into consultancy, bringing my extensive experience to a broader range of sectors.
Consultancy Services: Tailored HR Solutions
I specialise in developing world-class HR plans tailored to the unique needs of businesses in hospitality, retail, healthcare, and the charity sector. My skills are equally transferable to manufacturing and logistics. I collaborate closely with senior leaders to create simple, effective people plans and manage their implementation.
A Holistic Approach to HR
My diverse background as an operator, marketeer, HR professional, trustee, and Board advisor allows me to view business challenges through multiple lenses. I prioritise understanding the intricacies of each business to drive meaningful change through collaboration. We work together to design a simple people plan, and then I help project manage the process to make it a reality.
Client Testimonials
A client once remarked, “I forget you’re a consultant; you just feel like part of the team.” I consider this a high compliment, reflecting my commitment to integrating seamlessly into each organisation I work with.
And finally…
Outside of work, I have several passions. I love the silver screen and enjoy spending time with family, friends, animals, and supporting Leeds United.
