Emma Leonis-Hughes, Client Executive Director at LACE
Emma specialises in global, large-scale and complex end-to-end HR change programmes. She spent over 10 years at Deloitte before joining LACE Partners in early 2018 as Client Executive Director. Emma works with Chief People Officers and their leadership teams to develop their people strategies and help them drive business value – be that designing the HR operating model around the employee experience, optimising HR service delivery through improved use of digital tools or through building HR’s capability.
She is passionate about HR and challenging, inspiring and motivating HR leaders to achieve more. As part of this, Emma leads LACE’s thought leadership into the future of HR service delivery and operating models. For example, LACE’s bi-annual HR shared services trends reports which began in 2020, the ‘HR on the Offensive’ white paper and currently LACE’s ‘demystifying the HR operating model’ campaign.
Dawn Goodall, Director at LACE
Dawn is Transformative and Programme Management leader with extensive experience in HR Transformation and Transition and change programmes for a variety of industries and clients globally. Dawn spent 22 years at Accenture and was the Lead in Accenture’s Global Operations practice with full responsibility of the European Transition and Transformation team to drive successful programmes across Europe with accountability to deliver client success.
Dawn is no stranger in leading large scale global HR programmes across entire deal lifecycle from sales, solution and design, transition, transformation to full operational stability. She has extensive experience interacting with clients and a variety of stakeholders, handling client challenges, providing client solutions and managing large organisational change.
She is a strong people advocate and communicator, highly skilled in building and leading exceptional teams to achieve results. Dawn is passionate about people development and supporting team members to achieve their highest potential.
Outside of LACE, Dawn works as a Non-exec to coach and mentor charity leaders and boards to be more efficient, effective and sustainable.
Joanne Wilkes, HR Services Director at UCL
Jo is HR Services Director at the University College London and having started her HR career over 20 years ago and worked her way through Admin, Officer, Manager and Heads roles, Jo’s real passion is for Shared Services and over the past 6 years this has been within Higher Education Institutes. First at Coventry University and now as HR Services Director for one of the top 10 QS World Ranking Universities, UCL.
Customer service, delivery and the ability to build trust and strong relationships is paramount to the success of HR Services within UCL.
Supporting UCL’s Vision of having a distinctive approach to research, education and innovation which will further inspire its community of staff, students and partners to transform how the world is understood, how knowledge is created and shared is very exciting and staff are a critical element of that vision.
None of which can be provided without technology and system support, processes that are easy to follow and clear roles and accountabilities, all underpinned by excellent service delivery and a desire to understand and meet customer expectations.
Jo’s role as HR Services Director plays a key part in this, specifically in ensuring HR Services, with clear alignment to central HR, are delivering a customer orientated service, compliance with legal and audit requirements, optimising technology to automate and developing and strengthening relationships with 3rd party providers and key stakeholders.
Joanne is a qualified trainer and Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Liam Thompson, Head of People Services at Utilities Warehouse
Liam is an experienced Head of HR operations professional and has worked in private limited and FTSE 250 plc organisations in the pharmaceutical, FMCG, utilities and hospitality industries.
He has expert knowledge of working in business and HR leadership teams; developing and measuring long term HR and culture initiatives, adjusting plans in response to changing people priorities and managing critical risk situations.
He is a leader in the development of an inclusive and modern working culture where business performance results demonstrate value and in leveraging HR technology to create a great employee and people manager experience including Tier 0 automated HR services, quality compliance ‘Apps’ and meaningful people manager learning.
