United Arab Emirates
Commercially minded HR, strategy and performance leader with 20 years' experience partnering with founders, CEOs, boards and investors to help organisations grow, scale and transform across the UK, Europe, MENA and APAC. My career has centred around helping businesses navigate the moments that matter most; growth, international expansion, acquisitions, organisational redesign, leadership change and building the capability needed to scale successfully. I have worked across investor-backed businesses, scale-ups, multinational organisations and founder-led companies, supporting leadership teams to align people, performance and commercial priorities. Whilst my background is in HR and People, I have always viewed the function as a business enabler rather than a support service. Known for combining strategic thinking with a practical, hands-on approach, I enjoy helping organisations build strong leadership teams, scalable structures and high-performing cultures that support sustainable growth. My belief has always been simple: the strongest organisations are built when people and business performance grow together. Areas of Expertise: Organisational Design & Workforce Planning • Growth & International Expansion • Leadership & Talent Development • People Strategy & Transformation • M&A & Integration • Performance, Reward & Culture • HR Technology & Workforce Analytics
Regional responsibility across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, leading the people strategy across a multi-entity investment and advisory platform. Working closely with founders and leadership teams, my focus is on ensuring the organisation grows with the right structure, leadership, talent, and accountability in place, whilst balancing commercial objectives, governance requirements, and workforce capability across multiple jurisdictions. Leading the development of operating models, governance structures and organisational performance frameworks to support effective execution, leadership accountability and sustainable growth.
I partner with founders, CEOs, boards, and leadership teams as an advisor, shaping people and organisational strategies that support growth, transformation, integration, and long-term value creation across scaling and investment-led businesses. I also act as a Board Advisor to Vault Hill, MAB Consultancy, and Rees Clayton Solicitors, whilst providing embedded HR, talent and employment law support to SMEs and growth-stage organisations. My focus is on building scalable operating models, governance frameworks, leadership capability, and people infrastructure that enable organisations to grow without losing performance, culture, or control. Key experience and impact: • Led people strategy and organisational design across multi-country environments, supporting rapid growth and post-acquisition integration. • Built scalable HR and governance infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring employment law compliance and consistency while maintaining agility. • Played a central role in M&A activity, including due diligence support, role criticality assessment, cultural diagnostics, and integration planning. • Designed performance, succession, and leadership frameworks that strengthened execution and reduced dependency on founders. • Advised senior leaders on complex employee relations and workforce risk, bringing a balanced, pragmatic approach to sensitive matters. • Supported leadership teams in shifting from founder-led to enterprise-ready operating models. This is the space I work best in where people strategy, governance, and organisational growth directly influence business performance and long-term value creation.
Together with senior executives set up the first ever Wills & Probate team, Dispute Resolution Authority and the Academy of Law
• Partnered with the CEO, board, and investors within a DIFC and ADGM-regulated investment environment, supporting international expansion, workforce strategy, organisational growth, and operations across the UAE, KSA, Singapore, and international markets. • Led organisational design, workforce planning, leadership capability, and large-scale operational restructuring initiatives supporting rapid scale, profitability, and long-term growth objectives. • Supported M&A activity, HR due diligence, and post-merger integration across cross-border partnerships and acquisitions, ensuring organisational stability, cultural alignment, and leadership continuity. • Designed talent, compensation, equity, and performance frameworks aligned to operational delivery, investor expectations, and business performance objectives. • Introduced integrated workforce systems linking HR, finance, and operations, improving workforce visibility, forecasting, productivity insights, and cost management. • Worked closely with executive leadership on governance, succession planning, leadership effectiveness, and scalable people practices during periods of rapid growth and transformation.
Pure Salmon is an 8F company. A global asset management firm focused on impact investing. • Collaborated with senior management and executive teams to provide strategic HR guidance, enhancing organizational leadership, employee learning and development and cultivating a strong culture that supports growth and sustainability. • Established governance and workforce frameworks that supported the successful scaling of the organisation whilst ensuring compliance, operational consistency, and alignment with legal and ethical standards. • Led international talent acquisition and workforce scaling initiatives, attracting and retaining critical talent whilst improving recruitment processes and overall employee experience. • Led organisational transformation initiatives aligned to operational growth, scalability, and evolving business priorities across international markets. • Built a high-performance and inclusive culture that strengthened employee engagement, retention, leadership capability, and long-term organisational growth.
A global trampoline and action-adventure company, founded in Australia, operating in 15+ countries and welcoming over 6.5 million customers. • Reported to the CEO as the first People Director, scaling the Middle East region 10X in under 18 months and launching six new venues within budget. • Led the workforce and people strategy for three venue launches from the ground up, including a female-only facility in Riyadh as the sole female member of the leadership team. • Built and led a regional team of 10+ HR Business Partners across eight countries, strengthening leadership capability, succession planning, and talent development whilst significantly increasing internal mobility and promotions. • Trusted adviser and coach to the CEO, board members, and leadership team, driving HR strategy and organisational growth. • Designed and implemented workforce and operational protocols during COVID-19, balancing compliance, employee wellbeing, and business continuity across multiple markets. • Transformed an underperforming call centre into a centre of excellence, increasing monthly revenue from under $500K to $1.5M. • Managed large-scale organizational change initiatives, leading crisis management during periods of rapid growth and market uncertainty, strengthening operational resilience and leadership effectiveness.