Our team

Laura is an experienced business owner, mentor and chairperson. Her accomplished career includes senior roles in retail store and area management, logistics and HR before then working alongside business owners of small and medium-sized businesses.

As founder of two successful businesses, Reality HR and Blackdot Business, Laura’s strengths lie in business development, sales and marketing and mentoring. Her ability to motivate and inspire others has enabled her to grow strong teams.

Meeting clients and building a rapport with them is one of her greatest skills. Clients love her plain speaking and ability to see things from their perspective.

Laura’s Insights Profile says…

Laura is a persuasive, results-focused and decisive leader, but understands the balance of work and home life. She prioritises collaboration and teamwork while maintaining a positive outlook.

Her preference for fiery red energy means that she is determined and motivated, helping her teams to stay focused on the purpose of tasks and bigger picture.

A charismatic and inspiring leader, Sally-Ann is instrumental in Reality HR’s continued growth and success. 

Her long HR career has seen her working nationally and internationally, including senior roles at one of Britain’s largest supermarkets.  

She leads from the front, actively encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing, and insists on excellence in all aspects of Reality HR’s work. 

As a successful business owner, Sally-Ann has a deep understanding of the needs of clients, always focusing on strategies that meet their unique objectives and encourage growth. 

She actively contributes to the community as governor of her local college, and as Chair of Trustees for the local Scout group. 

Sally-Ann’s Insights Profile says… 

Sally-Ann’s Insights profile underlines her leadership qualities, an ability to offer emotional support to others, conflict resolution skills, and the efforts she makes to build and maintain good relationships. It also notes that she brings fun and light-heartedness to situations and is highly attuned to the human factors in organisations and teams. 

A natural organiser with a keen eye for detail, Jo oversees the day-to-day operations of our business – ensuring we are exceptional in everything we do. 

She brings her previous experience as a business owner to Reality HR, always seeing the client’s point of view and supporting our team in delivering outstanding service. 

Jo is a strong advocate of mental health and wellbeing, and when she’s not working she can often be found practicing yoga or Pilates, or on a long countryside walk. 

Jo’s Insights Profile says… 

Jo’s Insights profile makes perfect sense to those who know her – it highlights her down-to-earth realism, sense of fair play, organisational skills, and passion for high standards. She carefully assesses situations before acting and ensures everyone in the team plays their part. 

Passionate about creating great places to work, Nicola works closely with line managers and leaders to help them develop effective, successful people strategies. 

She has vast experience in a broad range of sectors and expertise in the employment implications of mergers and acquisitions, including the challenges of TUPE regulations. 

Nicola also works on diversity and inclusion projects, company culture exercises, rewards and performance management programmes, and day-to-day HR. 

Clients value Nicola’s ability to pose questions that provoke thought and discussion and the way she solves problems by introducing new ways of thinking. 

Nicola’s Insights Profile says… 

Analysis, precision, realism, a strong work ethic and dependability are highlighted in Nicola’s Insights profile. It also stresses that she carefully assesses situations before acting and is a team player. 

Renowned for her exceptional listening skills and commitment to inclusivity, Donna brings a refreshingly honest approach to her role. Drawing on a rich HR background with employers including Barclays and AXA, she has honed expertise in organisational design and team coaching, vital elements in building a successful workplace culture.

With over three decades of hands-on experience, Donna stands as a respected executive coach, mentor, and HR professional. Using her extensive experience of psychometric testing she builds bespoke workshops around business scenarios encouraging self-awareness and exploring team dynamics to maximise efficiency. She uses the tools to identify unique contributions, improving communication, creativity and productivity, and her distinctive approach is a catalyst for individual and team success. These workshops are often further enhanced by follow up individual coaching sessions where her trusted approach empowers people to get into the nitty gritty of the enablers and blockers.

Donna’s Insights Profile says…

Donna’s Insights profile highlights her ability to listen to people’s concerns, often turning resistance into enthusiasm and commitment. She quickly earns trust from others, encouraging them to open up, and is adept at seeing alternatives where an approach isn’t working. She is a “getting things done” person and a constant source of inspiration and fun!

Sam’s HR experience at senior level in large corporates including Qinetiq and De La Rue gives her valuable insight into the people challenges faced by organisations of all sizes. 

Practically minded with a strong sense of humour, she has expertise in restructuring and redundancy, employee engagement, implementing HR systems and performance management and development initiatives, alongside day-to-day HR support. 

She works in close collaboration with her clients, always with a focus on their commercial requirements and overall business strategy and is known for her ability to think her way through problems to find solutions and a way forward.  

Sam’s Insights Profile says… 

Sam’s Insights profile confirms she is a real team player who supports others by being loyal, diplomatic, and sincere. She is also single-minded and persistent and never lets a project or commitment go until it is complete, and she is satisfied that she has achieved the best possible outcome for her client. 

Karen is a highly experienced HR professional with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. She joined HR Initiatives in January 2023, bringing a wealth of expertise from
her extensive in-house HR background.

Karen is passionate about creating inclusive and engaging work environments, with a particular focus on compensation and benefits. Her work in this area helps attract and retain talent, enhance employee satisfaction, and drive strategic, data-driven decisions
on behalf of her clients.

Karen holds a Level 7 (MCIPD) qualification and is a certified Mental Health First Aider. Her diverse client base ranges from small businesses with fewer than five employees to multi-level organisations with around 150 employees, spanning industries such as charity organisations, manufacturing sites, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Known for her kind and easy-going manner. She is dedicated to understanding and addressing clients’ needs and concerns, tailoring her approach to each unique situation. Her ability to provide flexible solutions and communicate complex issues in a straightforward way has earned her the trust and appreciation of her clients.

Karen’s Insights Profile says…

Karen is dependable with a stabilising presence. She is a reliable and supportive team player and makes great efforts to build and maintain relationships, consistently performs well in specialist areas of work, and seeks to be compliant and willing to adapt.

Meet our Head of Learning and Development, Heidi. Heidi leads our team of trainers, ensuring that the training sessions we deliver are always insightful and impactful. Heidi works closely with her team to carefully tailor all training sessions for the specific needs of our clients, ensuring the examples and scenarios used are always relevant, and draws on her varied background working in hospitality, retail, and manufacturing to deliver training that is practical, relevant, and engaging. Heidi’s leadership and expertise in learning and development have been instrumental in helping our clients achieve their goals.

Heidi is an outstanding trainer herself, bringing her trademark qualities of patience, approachability, and direct communication to all her sessions. As a qualified Insights Practitioner, she uses personality profiling to help individuals better understand themselves and those around them. Heidi provides memorable and engaging tools to help teams work together effectively and build stronger relationships with their customers.

Heidi’s passion for learning extends beyond the workplace where she is actively involved in her community as a school Governor and leader of Brownies and Guides.

Heidi’s Insight Profile says…

Heidi’s Insights Profile sheds light on her strengths as a training expert and highlights her confidence and expertise in areas where she has deep knowledge, ensuring that she always delivers impactful training sessions. Heidi is a strong advocate for her team, and she takes responsibility for completing tasks with a practical, common-sense approach. Her dedication to supporting her team helps to foster a collaborative and positive work environment.

Emily is an experienced HR specialist with a passion for aligning HR practices to the business strategies of the organisations she works with. 

Clients value her supportive, objective approach and keen commercial focus. 

Emily draws on previous experience as a lead HR Business Partner for a manufacturing and electrical engineering company to develop effective people management strategies in close collaboration with the businesses she works with.  

She is especially passionate about change management and is experienced in restructure and redundancy projects and developing effective recruitment processes. 

Emily’s Insights Profile says… 

Emily’s ability to state views with clarity and forethought, her commitment to setting realistic goals and her tenacity and perseverance are qualities identified in her Insights profile. She is also consistent and dependable, and offers emotional support to others. 

Introducing Jane, an experienced HR professional with a passion for driving positive change within organisations. With a wealth of expertise, Jane excels in various aspects of HR, including Change Management, TUPE, Employee Relations, and Employee Engagement.

Having worked in diverse industries such as Technology, Aerospace & Defence and Hospitality, Jane brings a broad perspective and the ability to adapt HR strategies to meet the unique needs of different sectors. Throughout her career, Jane has undertaken significant projects that have made a substantial impact to her client’s businesses. From leading change management initiatives to facilitating complex restructures, including TUPE transfers, and spearheading Employee Engagement programs, Jane consistently demonstrates her ability to navigate intricate HR landscapes.

Jane is a personable and trusted HR consultant at Reality HR. Her down-to-earth approach and exceptional communication skills make her a valuable asset to clients. With insightful guidance and clarity of thought, Jane forges strong relationships and brings immense value to the team.

Jane’s insight profile says…

Jane is a dedicated and detail-oriented team member who fosters unity and provides valuable support behind the scenes, ensuring task completion and promoting evidence-based decision-making.

Known for her pragmatic, non-judgemental approach and an ability to think around issues, Cathy is an instrumental part of the Reality HR team. 

With expertise in sickness and absence management, employee consultations, and coaching managers, she draws upon more than a decade’s experience in HR roles to support her clients. 

Cathy expertly handles day-to-day queries for clients in a diverse range of industries including retail, construction, pharma regulation, technical training and manufacturing. 

Cathy’s Insights Profile says… 

Cathy’s Insights profile reflects everything her clients and colleagues love about her – she is sympathetic to the needs of others, can state her views with clarity and forethought and sees the success of others as key to her own success. She is also patient, neat, orderly and tolerant! 

With over 35 years of experience in HR, Fran is a true HR generalist, supporting businesses across a wide range of industries. She has worked with large corporates before moving into senior standalone HR roles within SMEs, which was a natural progression into consultancy.

A Fellow of the CIPD and a qualified Mental Health First Aider, Fran brings extensive expertise in all aspects of HR, from change management and redundancy consultations to delivering in-depth training on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. She works with clients across construction, housing associations, not-for-profits, accountancy firms, engineering, IT services, and more.

Known for quickly building rapport, Fran takes the time to understand each client’s commercial needs, offering pragmatic and strategic HR advice. With a straightforward, objective approach, she helps businesses navigate complex people challenges while aligning HR solutions with their overall goals.

No two days in HR are ever the same, and with decades of experience, Fran enjoys the variety and the chance to tackle new challenges with a positive, open-minded approach.

Fran’s Insights Profile says…

Fran is a reliable and supportive team member who excels in coordinating group activities and maintaining effective relationships. She brings harmony to conflicting situations and is always willing to lend a hand. Fran’s ability to inspire and engage others, along with her commitment to high standards, makes her an invaluable asset to the HR Initiatives team.

Karolina works closely with clients, seeing herself as an integral part of their organisations as well as a key player in the Reality HR team. 

Known for her positive attitude and superb people skills, she has a background in recruitment for large private and public sector organisations along with a broad knowledge of day-to-day HR, employee engagement and performance management. 

She has an instinctive ability to understand what clients need, reviewing processes and suggesting improvements to help them get the best out of their teams. 

Karolina’s Insights Profile says… 

Karolina’s profile highlights that she is critically perceptive with an eye for detail, ensures correct procedures are followed and is skilled at helping the team schedule activities to meet goals. 

A great problem solver known for her practical and logical approach, Jo’s background in HR with companies in manufacturing, engineering, and financial services has given her expertise in organisational design, restructuring, recruitment and change management.

Working for large corporates including Thermo Fisher Scientific and Honeywell, and smaller businesses gives Jo valuable insight into the people challenges faced by organisations of all sizes.

Jo is especially passionate about employee relations and loves to work in close collaboration with all clients.

Jo’s Insights profile says…

Jo brings order and structure through her organisational qualities. She helps set high, but realistic standards for the team and motivates them to ensure those standards are met. Jo is cautious, following instructions to the letter and one of her greatest strengths is ensuring consistency in team output.

Caroline’s passion for HR stems from her early career in an HR management consultancy. She has worked across a variety of industries from professional services through to the not-for-profit sector, in organisations ranging from large corporates through to SMEs and has gained a CIPD level 7 accreditation.

Caroline has a wealth of experience in supporting disciplinary and grievance processes, performance management and absence management.

Caroline’s Insights profile says…

Caroline is an excellent sounding board for others. She remains calm, unruffled and is efficient. She sets high standards for herself and others and is at heart, a realist with a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach to ‘people challenge’.

With over 13 years of experience in HR, Abby is a dedicated professional who excels in all areas of generalist HR and enjoys HR project work. She has experience in employee relations, including performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes, and redundancies as well as broad generalist HR practises. Abby’s HR experience spans financial services, asset management, and the independent school sector.

At Reality HR, Abby supports a diverse range of clients in construction, engineering, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing industries, with businesses ranging from 15 to 250 employees. She is skilled in developing employee handbooks and policies, ensuring that her clients have the tools they need to succeed.

Known for her friendly and approachable nature, Abby strives to create positive, trusting, and open relationships with her clients. She enjoys working through challenges together with her clients to find the best outcomes.

Abby’s Insights profile says…

Abby brings foresight and farsight to the team, providing sharp and quick opinions. She brings a fresh outlook and is seen as a good team builder. Abby sees the big picture, has infectious enthusiasm and optimism, and provides inspiration and ingenuity.

With 15 years of experience in HR, Al excels in employee relations and change management. He has worked across both public and private sectors, starting his HR career in HR for law enforcement before moving into the agrochemical, financial services, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries. Al joined RHR recently, bringing a wealth of expertise and a practical approach to his role.

Al holds a CIPD Level 7 qualification and currently supports a range of Reality HR clients, including software companies, consulting firms, hospitality businesses, marketing agencies, fashion brands, FMCG companies, and educational institutions. His experience includes leading large-scale change processes, managing acquisitions and mergers, and setting up new business operations across various countries.

Known for his approachable and practical advice, Al is dedicated to understanding and addressing his clients’ needs. He enjoys having an impact on his clients by helping them improve their HR practices along with seeing the benefits and outcomes of positive changes in their workplace. He is skilled at communicating complex issues in a straightforward way, making him a trusted advisor to his clients.

Al’s insight profile says…

Al encourages a calm environment, promotes reflection, analysis, and precision, and helps avoid mistakes. Al enjoys designing workable systems and problem-solving, maintaining fair play, and thinking clearly under pressure. His ability to identify key elements of important situations and provide a sense of reality to the team makes him an invaluable member of the Reality HR team.

Kelsey has been working in HR for almost 3 years, bringing a fresh and enthusiastic approach to her role. She enjoys taking care of the employee life-cycle, with a particular focus on Diversity and Inclusion and Neurodiversity at work.

Before joining HR Initiatives, Kelsey gained valuable experience in HR shared services at the head offices of a major retailer and worked as executive support for investment management companies.

At HRi, Kelsey is dedicated to supporting both the team and clients, ensuring smooth HR operations, and fostering positive workplace environments. She is known for her friendly and positive nature, striving to give a personal experience when working with clients. Kelsey is approachable at all times and loves to help, always putting the client at the heart of everything she does.

Kelsey’s Insights Profile says…

Kelsey enjoys an empathic approach to others and mediates to bring harmony from conflict. She is seen as a positive team player, always ready to offer service to colleagues. Kelsey is a calming presence in conflict resolution, makes friends quickly and easily, and uses her highly developed relationship skills to foster strong connections.

With over 16 years’ experience, Tina provides valuable administration support to the HR Consultants and wider Reality HR team.

Tina’s focus on providing excellent HR support is informed by her experience working on small and large-scale projects for manufacturing and healthcare organisations. It has given her a wealth of expertise in Contracts of Employment writing, redundancy and disciplinary and grievance procedures.

Tina enjoys working with a diverse range of clients and has a real passion for communication, fairness and welcoming new workers.

Tina’s Insights profile says ….

Tina’s focus is inward, meditative and reflective. Her commitment to her obligations comes much less in words, and much more in getting things organised and done. Tina likes to prepare well and prefers to know why and how things happen. Enjoying a “low profile”, one of Tina’s great strengths is her natural, unobtrusive, accepting manner.

Nicola Wadkins is an experienced HR Administrator with 11 years in the HR field. She is passionate about wellness, culture, and insights, bringing a wealth of knowledge to her role. Nicola’s diverse background includes working with notable organisations in HR and office management.

Nicola has managed significant projects, including an office relocation and the rollout of new HR systems. She has also spearheaded company charity initiatives and wellness days, demonstrating her commitment to enhancing workplace culture and employee wellbeing.

Known for her problem-solving skills, sense of fairness, and ability to empathise with others, Nicola excels at putting people at ease. Her straightforward communication style and sense of humour make her a valued team member, adept at navigating complex issues with clarity and ease.

Nicola’s Insights Profile says…

Nicola provides quiet, behind-the-scenes support and is a dedicated, reliable, and persistent team player. She brings fun and light-heartedness to familiar environments, is loyal to the leader and the cause, and sees others’ success as key to her own.

Known for her friendly and approachable nature, Amy is a valued member of the team and support to the HR Consultants.

With expertise in recruitment, redundancy, performance management and absence management, she draws upon more than a decade’s experience working across a range of sectors, to support her clients.

Amy is passionate about employee engagement, helping managers to build effective teams.

Amy’s Insights profile says…

Amy is perceived by others as honest, loyal and sincere. She has a strong sense of duty and takes her work seriously. Because of this, she can adhere to high standards. She is always consistent, dependable and will follow tasks through to completion while supporting her team.

A recruitment specialist, Sally-Ann is candidate driven and passionate about helping people.

She has expertise in high volume and niche recruitment, working across multiple industries and values the importance of giving candidates the best possible experience.

At Reality HR Sally-Ann is our lead Recruiter, supporting the HR Consultants and Advisors across our diverse range of clients.

Sally-Ann’s Insights profile says…

Sally-Ann is quietly productive. She is patient, forgiving and offers emotional support to others. Because of this, Sally-Ann always seeks to understand others’ viewpoints. One of Sally-Ann’s greatest strengths is her tenacity and persistence.

Friendly and efficient, Philippa combines her flair for finance with a wealth of business experience. 

Previously a headhunter in large organisations, she uses her knowledge of business and project management to support the team’s work. 

The Reality team and clients alike appreciate Phillipa’s eye for detail, commercial awareness and strong organisational skills. 

Philippa’s Insights Profile says… 

Philippa’s Insights profile underlines her patience, loyalty and stability along with her gift for mediation, bringing harmony from conflict.  

Jackie has been a key part of HR Initiatives for 18 years, bringing her financial expertise and meticulous attention to detail to the team. She thrives in managing a diverse range of tasks and enjoys all aspects of her finance role.

After earning her degree in Business Studies with Finance, Jackie trained as a Management Accountant and gained extensive consulting experience across multiple industries. Her straightforward and approachable nature makes her a go-to person for clear, practical advice on complex financial matters.

Jackie’s good sense of humour and dependable presence make her a valued colleague. She takes pride in her diverse responsibilities and enjoys being part of a supportive team that values her contributions.

Jackie’s Insights Profile says…

Jackie is a trusted and stabilising presence, known for her strong sense of duty and persistence. She is reliable, tenacious, and driven by a deep commitment to the values that matter most.

Creative and brimming with ideas, Jodie is passionate about marketing and spends every day ensuring she is effectively communicating the brilliant work of the Reality HR team. 

With 15 years’ experience in business to business and business to consumer marketing, Jodie has worked across a range of not-for-for profit, private and public sector organisations. 

She collaborates closely with her colleagues to create the perfect marketing mix, including guides and factsheets for clients, website news and content, events, webinars and regular updates on social media. 

Jodie’s Insights Profile says… 

Jodie’s colleagues will recognise the character traits highlighted by her Insights profile – she’s seen as a diplomatic, sincere and a caring team player. She is also loyal to the team and works with resilience and diligence towards a common goal. 

Meet Lily Olliver, an enthusiastic Marketing Apprentice who brings a can-do attitude to her role and serves as a key support for the marketing and wider Reality HR team. With a strong passion for marketing analytics, Lily enjoys the variety that her job offers and has over four years of experience as an administrator in the leisure and veterinary industries.

Lily is a conscientious and logical thinker with a strong sense of responsibility consistently completing tasks to the best of her ability.

Lily’s Insights profile says…

Lily’s Insights profile highlights her dedication to achieving realistic goals and supporting her team with loyalty, diplomacy, and sincerity. She has a calming influence and always strives to make a positive impact on those around her.

Laila is currently working part-time at Reality HR while studying business, criminology, and sociology at college. Her studies bring a studious attitude and analytical thinking to the marketing team, while also providing her with valuable experience in marketing—an area she thoroughly enjoys.

In her role, Laila supports the team with a wide range of marketing and administrative tasks, contributing to the smooth running of projects across the business. She plays a vital role in maintaining brand consistency, including formatting and preparing training materials for the Learning and Development team, and oversees the CRM system, ensuring the data is accurate and up to date to support key business operations.

Laila excels in an organised, efficient environment, prioritising tasks and managing multiple deadlines to deliver high-quality results. Her contributions are integral to the success of the marketing team and the wider business.

Laila’s Insights profile says…

Laila adds significant value to the team with a dedicated, conscientious approach and a focus on practicality. Laila maintains a fair and steady approach whilst supporting colleagues, ensuring projects are completed with precision, care, and in a timely manner.