Early career

I read English at university followed by a post-graduate diploma in business management, specialising in PR and marketing. I  started working in PR for a national charity and then progressed through various roles in different not-for-profit organisations to Development Manager, working with Chief Executives to develop the organisation.  I thought I might like to manage a small charity myself, but realised that good HR skills would be essential to any business success.

The move to HR

I moved into the private sector to be sponsored through the 3 year CIPD qualification and gained a solid background in private sector business management.  Once qualified I realised that HR was the most important, and often under-estimated, aspect of organisational success and that this is where I would get most job satisfaction.  I continued in that field and eventually moved into the public sector to apply my private sector learning in a new environment.

Going freelance

After 8 years as Head of HR for a local authority, I decided to set up my own business to offer HR support to small organisations in the local area and to share the expertise I had developed with those who couldn’t afford full-time HR staff. As it turned out, I was also approached by large organisations who needed someone independent for grievance investigations and mediation, and by individuals looking for help with CVs and interview coaching, so I have ended up with a varied workload which I really enjoy.