Gemma Walters
Swindon
Summary
APM PMQ qualified Change Analyst with extensive experience supporting project delivery, organisational change and process improvement within a complex logistics environment. Skilled in stakeholder management, governance, requirements gathering, risk management and cross-functional coordination, with experience working across a diverse range of project environments including system implementations, global product development and large-scale organisational change initiatives. Recently completed a Level 6 Project Management Degree Apprenticeship, with final results pending.
Overview
1
1
Certification
12
12
years of post-secondary education
11
11
years of professional experience
Work history
Change Analyst Team Lead
Wincanton
2025.10 - 2026.07
- Promoted to lead the Change Analyst team while retaining full delivery responsibilities of the Change Analyst role. Accountable for managing workload, developing team capability, and driving continuous improvement across People Services change activity.
- Managed and developed two Change Analysts through coaching, performance management, and development planning.
- Prioritised and allocated team workloads to optimise capacity, meet delivery deadlines and maintain service quality.
- Led development and continuous improvement of People Services change processes, governance controls, and supporting documentation, enhancing overall effectiveness.
- Managed the delivery of key People Services and Payroll projects, including organisational change initiatives, TUPE transfers, site closures, site transfers, and system and process improvements.
- Continued to deliver Change Analyst responsibilities across HR, Payroll and Time & Attendance workstreams, including governance, requirements gathering, impact assessment and project delivery support.
- Conducted quality assurance reviews of requirements, business documentation and change deliverables to ensure compliance with governance standards.
- Acted as the primary escalation point for risks, issues, stakeholder queries and cross-functional dependencies.
- Applied project management methodologies, change control processes and stage-gate governance to support consistent and controlled project delivery.
- Maintained strong stakeholder relationships across HR, Payroll, Operations, and wider business functions to foster collaboration and achieve successful outcomes.
Change Analyst
Wincanton
2022.04 - 2025.10
- Designed and implemented a stage-gate change management framework for People Services, strengthening governance, approval controls, risk management and delivery consistency.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to effectively govern, plan and implement change initiatives, enhancing project alignment and stakeholder engagement.
- Managed People Services and Payroll workstreams across multiple TUPE projects, applying project management methodologies, governance frameworks and delivery controls to support complex employee transfers, including a high-profile Sainsbury's transition involving 15 transport operations and 2,048 colleagues transferring to Wincanton.
- Led the successful rollout of the Kronos Mobile Time and Attendance application across multiple sites, coordinating project plans, stakeholder engagement, communications and readiness activities to support successful adoption.
- Delivered process improvement initiatives by developing an enhanced requirements gathering framework, strengthening governance and visibility in project controls.
- Conducted complex data analysis and high-volume data processing to ensure accurate employee records and organisational structures, supporting compliance and operational efficiency.
People Services Administrator
Wincanton
2021.11 - 2022.04
- Supported People Services team by executing HR processes accurately and on time, contributing to overall team efficiency.
- Executed mass salary updates in Oracle, ensuring data integrity across employee records.
- Migrated over 6,000 employee documents to a new database, enhancing document retrieval and management.
- Created automated Excel trackers to improve project visibility.
Product Management Coordinator
Gurit UK
2019.10 - 2021.09
- Streamlined new product development stage-gate process, reducing approval meeting time by 66%.
- Coordinated global product management initiatives, enhancing documentation, certification, and process improvement within new product development Stage-Gate process.
- Developed global SharePoint site with workflow approvals, streamlining document control.
- Oversaw third-party product certifications and technical documentation, ensuring compliance and accuracy.
Project Coordinator (SME)
Thames Water
2018.03 - 2019.10
- Gathered and analysed process requirements, confirming that business needs were effectively addressed.
- Conducted data analysis to monitor process health and identify potential risks.
- Coordinated billing activities and developed processes for major SAP implementation project, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
Specialist Customer Service Agent
Thames Water
2016.08 - 2018.03
- Delivered high-quality customer service, contributing to consistently high satisfaction scores.
- Managed bulk accounts for local authorities, ensuring high-quality customer service and satisfaction.
- Consistently met and exceeded KPIs.
- Produced financial breakdowns for multi-million-pound accounts, supporting informed decision-making.
Customer Service Agent
Thames Water
2015.03 - 2016.08
- Delivered excellent customer service, resulting in high customer satisfaction scores.
- Conducted outbound calls, improved brand awareness among potential customers.
- Anticipated potential problems by closely reviewing account histories, avoided escalation scenarios.
- Increased repeat business through exceptional customer service skills.
Education
BSc (Hons) - Project Management
Northumbria University
2021.01 - 2026.01
APM PMQ Certified - undefined
Association for Project Management
2025.01 - 2025.01
BTEC Diploma - Photography
Swindon College
2012.01 - 2014.01
GCSEs - English (B), Art (B), Photography (B), Maths (C), Science (E), Geography (E)
Nailsea School
2007.01 - 2012.01
Skills
- Project and Change Management
- Project lifecycle management
- Organisational change management
- Project management methodologies
- Project governance
- Risk, issue, dependency and action management
- Requirements analysis
- Stakeholder engagement, expectation management and conflict resolution
- Stakeholder Management & Communication
- Cross-functional collaboration within matrix organisations
- Process improvement, change control and continuous improvement initiatives
- Process mapping
- Governance frameworks
- Team leadership, coordination and mentoring
- Leadership and Team Development
- Team leadership, coordination and mentoring
- Operational efficiency
Certification
Project Management Degree Apprenticeship (BSc Hons)
Northumbria University (September 2021 – Present)
Since September 2021, I have been studying towards the Level 6 Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship with Northumbria University whilst working full-time at Wincanton. The programme combines academic study, workplace application and professional development, leading to a BSc (Hons) in Project Management and demonstrating competence against the nationally recognised Project Manager apprenticeship standard.
Balancing full-time employment, university study and personal commitments over several years has required significant commitment, resilience and strong time management skills. Alongside completing academic modules, I achieved the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and applied my learning directly to organisational change, TUPE, payroll and business improvement projects.
A key part of the apprenticeship involved developing an evidence portfolio demonstrating the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) required by the apprenticeship standard. This included evidencing competence in areas such as governance, planning, stakeholder management, leadership, project controls, risk management, benefits management and change management through real workplace experience. The full standard can be viewed on the Government apprenticeship standard page: https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeship-standards/st0411-v1-0
I have now completed my End Point Assessment (EPA), consisting of a work-based project and professional review, and am awaiting my final results, expected by the end of August 2026.
The apprenticeship has equipped me with the knowledge and practical experience to support projects throughout the project lifecycle, apply structured project management methodologies, navigate governance requirements and effectively engage stakeholders. These skills provide a strong foundation for future Project Management roles.
Should a resit be required, I have received confirmation that apprenticeship funding arrangements will continue 12 beyond my anticipated redundancy date (21st September), allowing me to complete any outstanding EPA requirements and achieve the qualification.
References
Available upon request.
Project Management Degree Apprenticeship (BSc Hons)
Northumbria University (September 2021 – Present)
Since September 2021, I have been studying towards the Level 6 Project Manager Degree Apprenticeship with Northumbria University whilst working full-time at Wincanton. The programme combines academic study, workplace application and professional development, leading to a BSc (Hons) in Project Management and demonstrating competence against the nationally recognised Project Manager apprenticeship standard.
Balancing full-time employment, university study and personal commitments over several years has required significant commitment, resilience and strong time management skills. Alongside completing academic modules, I achieved the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and applied my learning directly to organisational change, TUPE, payroll and business improvement projects.
A key part of the apprenticeship involved developing an evidence portfolio demonstrating the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) required by the apprenticeship standard. This included evidencing competence in areas such as governance, planning, stakeholder management, leadership, project controls, risk management, benefits management and change management through real workplace experience. The full standard can be viewed on the Government apprenticeship standard page: https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeship-standards/st0411-v1-0
I have now completed my End Point Assessment (EPA), consisting of a work-based project and professional review, and am awaiting my final results, expected by the end of August 2026.
The apprenticeship has equipped me with the knowledge and practical experience to support projects throughout the project lifecycle, apply structured project management methodologies, navigate governance requirements and effectively engage stakeholders. These skills provide a strong foundation for future Project Management roles.
Should a resit be required, I have received confirmation that apprenticeship funding arrangements will continue 12 beyond my anticipated redundancy date (21st September), allowing me to complete any outstanding EPA requirements and achieve the qualification.
Timeline
Change Analyst Team Lead
Wincanton
2025.10 - 2026.07
APM PMQ Certified - undefined
Association for Project Management
2025.01 - 2025.01
Change Analyst
Wincanton
2022.04 - 2025.10
People Services Administrator
Wincanton
2021.11 - 2022.04
BSc (Hons) - Project Management
Northumbria University
2021.01 - 2026.01
Product Management Coordinator
Gurit UK
2019.10 - 2021.09
Project Coordinator (SME)
Thames Water
2018.03 - 2019.10
Specialist Customer Service Agent
Thames Water
2016.08 - 2018.03
Customer Service Agent
Thames Water
2015.03 - 2016.08
BTEC Diploma - Photography
Swindon College
2012.01 - 2014.01
GCSEs - English (B), Art (B), Photography (B), Maths (C), Science (E), Geography (E)
Nailsea School
2007.01 - 2012.01