Case StudiesWhat This Looks Like in Practice
When the presenting problem isn’t the real problemOrganisational Diagnostic - Investor-Backed Technology Business
The situation
An investor-backed technology business was navigating post-merger integration. Structurally, the integration looked done. Operationally, culturally and from a leadership perspective, it wasn’t - and the organisation was starting to feel the weight of that gap.
They commissioned a diagnostic to understand the current state of the people function and what needed to shift to support the next phase of growth. The brief was clear. What we found went further.
What the diagnostic revealed
Eight weeks. Interviews across the organisation, from the CEO and investor group to the people function team and business leaders across the enterprise. What emerged was a picture more complex than the presenting brief suggested.
Teams were still operating in silos, shaped by the legacy ways of working of organisations that had carried less complexity. Decision rights were unclear. The people function - capable and committed - was operating in transactional mode, with strategic people decisions increasingly being made outside it. Leadership confidence in the function was low. And the organisation was simultaneously navigating a CEO transition, adding pressure to an already stretched system.
The real problem wasn’t the people function in isolation. It was the absence of clear, visible leadership of the people agenda at enterprise level - and the risk that without it, the transformation would progress unevenly and unsustainably.
What was delivered
A clear, honest assessment of organisational readiness - presented directly to the CEO and Board of Investors. Working at the highest level of the organisation throughout, not filtered through layers but delivered directly to the people who needed to act on it. Alongside the assessment, a people function roadmap outlining the evolution needed through early stages of maturity, and four specific options to strengthen leadership capability and enterprise governance. The recommendations were acted on at the highest level.
What this illustrates
This is what the diagnostic offering looks like in practice. The client came with one question. The work surfaced a different, more important one. The output wasn’t a long report - it was a clear picture of what was actually going on, and a practical way through.
When the brief changes before you startPeople-Centric Retail Transformation - Major UK Betting & Gaming Business
The situation
A major UK retail business needed to restructure its shop leadership. That was the brief. During the interview and scoping process it became clear that what was actually needed was something more fundamental - a full redesign of the people-centric operating model for a retail function of nearly 7,000 people. I held my position on that. And they listened.
What followed
Working alongside the senior leadership team, we designed the new model together - structures from shop floor to regional level, a rebuilt central service function, new decision-making and governance frameworks, and a people change programme embedded into a wider retail transformation covering locations, services and technology.
I built and led the cross-functional team that delivered it. Sixteen months of complex, multi-workstream delivery - with the support and autonomy to drive the work properly, and the trust to do it my way.
The human side was never separate from the operational side. Leadership coaching, capability development, engagement at every level - these weren’t add-ons. They were how the change landed and stuck.
The results
Three objectives: improve revenue, reduce cost, and hold employee engagement - which was already low and expected to fall further through transformation.
Revenue improved. Costs reduced. Employee engagement rose by 11%.
The teams hit their targets. People got their bonuses. And I walked away proud of the work and the impact it had - on the organisation, and on the people in it.
What this illustrates
The best work happens when expertise is trusted, relationships are real, and the human side of change is treated as central rather than secondary. That’s what this engagement was - and that’s what I bring.
Building something from almost nothingGlobal HR Transformation - International Research & Data Business
The situation
A fast-growing international business with serious global ambitions had an HR function that was largely invisible. Paper-based, transactional, under-resourced and undervalued - despite the organisation operating across multiple countries and planning significant further growth.
I was brought in to lead it. What started as a brief to stabilise became something much bigger.
What followed
Two years. Twenty-three countries. Six integrated systems and frameworks implemented across the full employee lifecycle - recruitment, learning, reward, HR systems and data, and people operations. A function transformed from paper-based workflow to a fully integrated, technology-enabled operation.
Alongside that, I worked closely with the CFO and COO as a trusted senior advisor on a major operating model shift - moving the business from a product-led structure to a client-centric one. Two significant pieces of work running simultaneously, both requiring strategic clarity and hands-on delivery at the same time.
The scale was significant. But what I’m most proud of isn’t the systems. It’s the team.
I inherited a function that was low on confidence, capability and direction. Rather than replacing people, I invested in them. Brought in interim leaders to coach and develop alongside the existing team. Created the conditions for people to shine - genuinely, not performatively. Was tough about standards and kind about the person. Defended them when they needed defending. Stayed close enough to know what was going on and move quickly when it mattered.
The feedback from that team still stays with me. They gave 110% - and that’s what made everything else possible.
The results
A global HR function built from the ground up in under two years. Six systems live across 23 countries. A team transformed - in capability, confidence and contribution. And a function that went from forgotten service to genuine strategic partner at the heart of a rapidly growing international business.
What this illustrates
You can’t build a high-performing function without investing in the people inside it. The same principles that drive people-centric organisational change apply to the teams that deliver it. That’s how this work was done - and why it landed.
Navigating complexity as it comesEmbedded HR Change Leadership - Global Betting & Gaming Business
The situation
A new C-suite. A culture in transition. And a CPO and HR Director with more on their plate than any team could reasonably hold.
What started as a commission to lead a complex site closure - transitioning operations from Bulgaria to locations across Romania, Malta and Manila - quickly became something broader. As things came up, I took them on
What followed
The site closure itself was substantial - a cross-border, multi-location transition involving redundancies, consultation, legal complexity across multiple jurisdictions, and a comprehensive change and communications programme delivered within tight timelines and constrained budgets. Difficult work, done carefully.
But alongside it, I became the person the CPO and HR Directors turned to when something complex needed leading. Operating model design. Organisational restructuring. Senior advisory for a C-suite that was still learning to work together. Whatever came, I picked it up - going high to see the strategic picture and close to get the work done.
The teams I worked with varied enormously in capability and experience. I coached at every level - senior leaders navigating political complexity, middle managers under pressure, junior staff finding their feet. The ability to move between those worlds quickly, without losing the thread of the work, was what made it possible to deliver at pace.
The results
Successful site closure with operations transitioned across three international locations. A portfolio of significant change activity delivered - on time, within budget, in a challenging environment. And an HR function that had clearer thinking, stronger approaches and more confidence in leading complexity by the end of it.
What this illustrates
Not all change work comes in a neat scope. Sometimes organisations need someone who can walk into ambiguity, see what needs doing, and get on with it - at every level, across every workstream, adapting as the ground shifts. That’s what this engagement was.