Michelle Kingsland FCIPD
Southend on Sea,Essex
Summary
Strategic HR leader with expertise in aligning people strategy with business growth and strategic-level priorities. Proven track record in creating inclusive work environments that value diversity, equity, and inclusion. Skilled in cultivating high-performing workplace cultures through innovative employee engagement strategies. Adept at integrating HR technologies to streamline global operations and enhance processes using AI. Specialist in compensation framework design, benchmarking, and maintaining pay equity. Passionate about upskilling colleagues to enable high performance across the organisation. Committed to advancing ESG & EDI planning while ensuring compliance and effective workforce planning.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work history
HEAD OF PEOPLE
London Southend Airport/Holiday Inn Hotel
11.2022 - 08.2025
- Strategic C-Suite partner to Board during company transformation and post-pandemic growth.
- Establishing industry-leading EVP to position airport as a true, local, Employer of choice - allowing top attraction and retention of key talent.
- Creating and implementing 5-year People Plan including HR dashboards, and board reporting.
- Executing diversity and inclusion strategies to establish a more inclusive, equitable workplace.
- Implementing people strategies to support delivery of corporate objectives.
- Introducing new HRIS system for tracking and control of working hours, ensuring compliance with WTD rules and colleague wellbeing as priority going forward.
- Negotiating with C-Suite colleagues to secure positive outcomes in settlement discussions.
- Delivering strategic counsel on ER matters to ensure timely resolutions and reduce legal risks for the business.
- Overseeing and guaranteeing compliance with National Living Wage (NLW) across all departments.
- Developing detailed salary structures by translating role requirements to national standards.
- Improving benefit framework to ensure business is offering 'best in class' possible with budget available. Benefit framework was fair and consistent, increased benefit utilisation by 40% and was a huge source of colleague satisfaction in the annual survey.
- Assessing and resolving employment law compliance issues, including Union negotiation and liaison.
- Empowering line managers by providing required knowledge to handle daily HR matters within their teams.
- Overseeing payroll and overtime processing for organisation including during structure change.
- Responsible for all HR/People matters for the on-site Holiday Inn Hotel/Restaurant, in terminal vendors, café and restaurants.
- Rapidly increasing workforce numbers by over 100%, ensuring compliance and consistency was maintained throughout recruitment process.
- Developing strong relationships with stakeholders through effective communication strategies. Stakeholders included both public and private sector organisations and businesses.
- Improving employee retention with comprehensive training programs; in addition to coordinating professional development programmes to enhance workforce skills.
- Managed HR issues sensitively whilst maintaining confidentiality.
- Handled conflict resolution tasks to maintain harmony within teams.
- Handled employee grievances promptly resulting in high trust levels among workforce.
- Organised regular performance reviews to ensure continuous staff development.
- Managed full recruitment lifecycle of job adverts, applicant vetting and new employee onboarding.
- Advised senior management on employee corrective actions.
- Partnered with management to establish workplace safety curriculum for training and education purposes.
- Designed new onboarding process, increasing staff engagement from day one - improving 90-day turnover rate by 95%.
- Led high-performing teams and developed organisational leadership capacity.
- Designed industry-leading employee engagement and recognition programmes.
- Removed practice of 'silo' workers and encouraged collaboration across departments.
- Established EDI network and ESG agenda for business, embedding these values throughout organisation.
- Achievements: Delivered strategic turnaround of CAA-regulated audit, achieving full People Department compliance in record time; Pioneered employment opportunities for SEND individuals within a highly regulated airport environment, a first for the organisation; Led complex pay reviews in a cash-constrained environment while maintaining internal equity during three consecutive NLW increases; Devised an inclusive recruitment plan that grew applicant volume by 31% and cut time-to-fill by 18% within six months; Revamped training delivery to face-to-face formats, improving first-time course success rates by 37%; Directed recruitment and onboarding of a 100% increase in headcount to meet business growth demands.
HEAD OF COLLEAGUE EXPERIENCE
McColl’s Retail Group
03.2021 - 11.2022
- Offered strategic counsel on change management to lead transformational change projects within business.
- Built a collaborative platform for mental health networks to discuss key organisational trends and share insights.
- Acted on insights from employee engagement surveys and forums to enhance well-being and empowerment.
- Successfully resolved complex NMW audit with HMRC.
- Promoted inclusive workplace culture respecting diverse perspectives; launched very first Diversity and Inclusion Network - a colleague driven forum to foster inclusivity.
- Worked with learning partners to design HR training aligned with priority topic areas and business needs.
- Executed 'Listening and Responding Roadmap' to ensure accountability and follow-through on actions.
- Established clear lines of communication, enhancing overall team cohesiveness.
- Restructured job bandings and salary benchmarks to support a competitive and motivating reward framework.
- Achievements: Advised leadership team on NMW/NLW compliance, pay accuracy, and rewards by overseeing colleague experience, engagement, and diversity & inclusion; Hosted inaugural 'Big Voice' journal and provided direct access to C-suite members and senior leaders to discuss operational challenges and improvements; Rewrote long and short-term sickness absence policies and minimised absence costs by £1M in first year.
HR MANAGER
Catsurveys
06.2017 - 03.2021
- Devised EVP/Employer Branding plan to boost company’s position as industry leader and employer of choice in talent attraction.
- Launched 'Mental Health Champion' role and created company’s mental health agenda.
- Designed in-house accredited learning program, enabling organisation to deliver ILM-certified training.
- Developed new onboarding programme to speed up employee productivity.
- Led change management initiatives for smoother transitions.
- Conducted regular performance evaluations, identified areas of improvement.
- Negotiated beneficial terms with benefit providers, ensured cost-effective packages.
- Communicated HR updates to staff, keeping employees operating under consistent framework across organisation.
- Managed full recruitment lifecycle of job adverts, applicant vetting and new employee onboarding.
- Achievements: HR Star of the Year Award (Construction News) for transformative impact on culture, learning, and D&I; Won 'Mates in Mind' National Award for mental health innovation; Secured first 'Investors in People' accreditation (Silver); Pioneered Working Away Credit initiative; Awarded title of 'Enterprise Advisor' by Business in the Community (BITC) in recognition of impactful work with local Pupil Referral Units and community outreach projects.
HR MANAGER
The Beeches Care Home
03.2016 - 06.2017
- Provided expert advice on Employee Relations matters, such as disciplinary, grievance, and contractual issues.
- Led HR tasks, including drafting letters, preparing new starter documentation, and handling payroll queries.
- Developed new onboarding programme to speed up employee productivity.
- Achievements: Achieved zero agency spending by improving staff retention through targeted strategies that made the care home the only one in the group to reach this milestone; Fostered culture of continuous improvement via bespoke in house training delivery, performance assessments, and personalised coaching to meet individual development needs.
- Developed succession planning to ensure business continuity.
- Union negotiation/Liaison.
HR & PAYROLL MANAGER
VMR Consultants
04.2015 - 02.2016
- Oversaw recruitment, staff appraisals, performance management, conflict resolution, and payroll operations.
- Attended senior managers’ meetings and offered strategic/practical HR advice to support policy development.
- Managed end-to-end payroll processes, auto-enrolment pension schemes, HMRC RTI filing, statutory returns, and payroll end-of-year.
- Optimised efficiency in the business by introducing automated payroll systems reducing manual input errors.
Education
CIPD Level 7 Qualified (Charterd Fellow)
IOSH Managing Safely - Institute of Health and Safety
Award in Education and Training (AET) - Level 3
First Aid At Work - Full 3-day Course
Mental Health First Aider - undefined
BTEC Level 3 - Human Resource Supervisory Management
Advanced Skills for the Practical Trainer - Level 3
IAB Level 3 Certificate - Computerised Payroll Credit
IAB Level 3 Diploma - Computerised Bookkeeping Distinction
BTEC Level 3 Advanced Certificate - Payroll Techniques Merit
BTEC Level 3 Advanced Certificate - Payroll Procedures Pass
LCCI EB Business Administration Level 3 Credit - undefined
A Levels - French, German, Economics, Spanish
Skills
- Strategic HR Leadership: Expert in aligning people strategy with business growth and Board-level priorities
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI): Create inclusive work environments that value different perspectives
- Employee Engagement: Cultivate high-performing, resilient workplace cultures through progressive strategies
- HR Technology Integration: Ensure seamless integration of HR technologies to streamline HR operations globally
- Reward, Pay & Benefits: Specialist in compensation design, benchmarking, and maintaining pay equity
- Innovation & Technology: Adept in the use of AI and technology to streamline and enhance HR processes
- Development and Upskilling: Passionate about upskilling colleagues throughout the organisation to enable high performance
- Human Resources Management
- Workforce Planning and hybrid modelling
- Use of AI to streamline and improve HR processes
- ESG & EDI Planning
- Payroll
- Performance Improvement
- Full Employee Lifecycle Strategy
- Learning Management System (LMS) Redesign
- Staff Recruitment/Selection/Talent Acquisition
- Team Leadership
- Talent Management
- Pay, Benefits and Total Reward
- Compliance
- Employee Relations
- Project Management
- Organisational Development
- Team Development and Training
- Relationship builder
- Consultative
- Persuasive
- Respectful
- Influential
- Resourceful
- Leadership
- Motivator
- Decision-making
- Innovative
- Problem-solving
- Time Management
Passion Projects & Community Advisory Work
Founding Board Director | SEATS (South Essex Advanced Technical Skills) (Feb 2023 - Present)
- Guided shift from exclusive advanced-level training to include foundation-level access for disadvantaged groups.,
- Worked closely with Local Authorities and Education providers to deliver framework and curriculum targets, KPIs and learner outcomes.
- Ensuring legal compliance with all People processes and procedures, including the hiring of the Managing Director and Senior Team.
- Budget Management of grant funds, including remuneration reviews for key colleagues.
- Benefit overhaul - introduction of new benefits approved by the rest of the Board Members.
Enterprise Advisor:
- Recognised for partnerships with Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to support vulnerable youth.
Human Utopia:
- Joined 'Bridging the Gap to Success' with 100+ disengaged students and senior leaders.,
Ban the Box Campaign:
- Partnered with BITC to remove criminal record checkboxes from job applications.,
SEND | Chair & Employer Rep:
- Worked in council forums to bridge employability and education for SEND youth.
- Participated in the forums responsible for the derivation for the Whitepaper 'Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022'
Accomplishments
- Increased applicant volume by 31% and cut time-to-fill by 18% in under 6 months.
- Achieved full CAA audit compliance turnaround for the People Department in record time.
- Reduced sickness absence costs by £1M within one year through strategic absence management.
- Pioneered employment opportunities for SEND individuals within a CAA-regulated environment.
- Achieved zero agency spending by improving staff retention and targeted recruitment strategies.
- Hosted inaugural 'Big Voice' forum connecting colleagues directly with C-suite leaders.
- Pioneered the Working Away Credit initiative.
- HR Star of the Year - Construction News Talent Awards.
- Winner of the National Award for Mental Health Innovation - Mates in Mind.
Earlier Roles:
- HR & Finance Manager - Cycles UK (2008/15)
- Accountant & Payroll Manager - Derichebourg Multiservices (2007/08)
- Payroll & Accounts - Road Transport Solutions (2005/06)
- Payroll & Personnel Manager - Logistic Recruitment Services (2000/05).
Timeline
HEAD OF PEOPLE
London Southend Airport/Holiday Inn Hotel
11.2022 - 08.2025
HEAD OF COLLEAGUE EXPERIENCE
McColl’s Retail Group
03.2021 - 11.2022
HR MANAGER
Catsurveys
06.2017 - 03.2021
HR MANAGER
The Beeches Care Home
03.2016 - 06.2017
HR & PAYROLL MANAGER
VMR Consultants
04.2015 - 02.2016
Award in Education and Training (AET) - Level 3
Mental Health First Aider - undefined
BTEC Level 3 - Human Resource Supervisory Management
Advanced Skills for the Practical Trainer - Level 3
IAB Level 3 Certificate - Computerised Payroll Credit
IAB Level 3 Diploma - Computerised Bookkeeping Distinction
BTEC Level 3 Advanced Certificate - Payroll Techniques Merit
BTEC Level 3 Advanced Certificate - Payroll Procedures Pass
LCCI EB Business Administration Level 3 Credit - undefined
A Levels - French, German, Economics, Spanish
CIPD Level 7 Qualified (Charterd Fellow)
IOSH Managing Safely - Institute of Health and Safety
First Aid At Work - Full 3-day Course