About Ruth-Ellen
I help organisations build people functions that actually work.
Talent transformation. AI-ready infrastructure. Leadership capability at scale.
The Short Version
I’m a senior People and Talent leader with 15+ years of experience across global, matrixed organisations. I work with executive teams to transform how their organisations attract, develop, and retain talent — particularly during periods of growth, change, and technological disruption.
My client portfolio includes HSBC, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, King (Activision Blizzard), Hootsuite, Financial Times, and Expedia.
I’ve delivered 600+ leadership programmes, built infrastructure supporting 17,000+ participants, and generated £120M in commercial revenue when I was on the operating side of the business.
I bring a rare combination: commercial experience that grounds my people work in business reality, and deep expertise in neuroinclusive design that makes organisations genuinely better for all minds.
The Longer Story
I started my career in commercial roles, not HR. At Expedia, I was generating revenue — £120 million of it. That experience shaped everything that came after, because it taught me something that too many people strategists miss: your people systems either enable commercial performance or they block it. There’s no neutral.
I moved into people strategy because I kept seeing the same pattern: talented people, mediocre systems, inconsistent results. I wanted to fix the systems.
For the past fifteen years, that’s what I’ve done. As Chief Innovation Officer at Exceptional Individuals — the UK’s leading neurodiversity consultancy — I’ve partnered with executive teams at some of the world’s most complex organisations. I’ve designed operating models, led transformation programmes, built leadership capability, and created talent infrastructure that scales.
I’ve also led teams. I’ve directly managed People Partners, Advisors, and delivery leads — setting standards for decision quality, risk management, and executive partnership. I know what it takes to build a function, not just advise one.
Today, I work at the intersection of people strategy and AI — helping leadership teams understand what to automate, what to protect, and how to build talent systems that thrive alongside emerging technology. It’s the most important question in people strategy right now, and most organisations are getting it wrong.
What I Believe
Most people strategy fails because it’s designed for compliance, not capability.
I build systems that work for diverse minds — not despite them. That’s not a values statement. It’s a performance strategy. When infrastructure fits how people actually think and work, discretionary effort follows. So does retention. So does innovation.
AI will accelerate this. Organisations that understand human capability — really understand it — will build better systems, make better decisions, and outperform those still optimising for a workforce that no longer exists.
That’s the work I do.
Credentials
CIPD Level 7
Strategic People Management (completing)
IAPC&M Certified
Master Coach
PTLLS Level 4
Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector
Lean Six Sigma
White Belt
Trusted by
HSBC · Merck · Johnson & Johnson · King (Activision Blizzard) · Hootsuite · Financial Times · Expedia
A Personal Note
I’m neurodivergent — ADHD, dyslexia, and more. This isn’t incidental to my work; it’s central to it. I’ve experienced first-hand what it means to be talented inside systems that weren’t built for how you think. It’s why I’m so focused on building infrastructure that works for all minds.
I’m based in Preston, UK, and work with organisations globally. When I’m not redesigning people systems, I’m probably building AI tools, writing, or thinking about how to make work actually work for more people.
Ready to build a people function that actually works?