Who I Am

I’m Lydia Ings, a board-level People and Culture leader and FCIPD professional with more than 25 years’ corporate experience across complex, multi-site and professional-services organisations.

I help growing and changing businesses connect their people strategy to business performance while keeping the employee experience at the heart of decision-making.

Throughout my career, I have worked closely with executive teams and boards on workforce strategy, organisation design, culture, leadership capability, employee experience, HR operations and commercial performance. I have led the People agenda through significant growth, helping an organisation scale from approximately 680 to more than 1,200 employees while revenue grew from £90 million to £160 million. I have also transformed People functions from transactional or process-led teams into trusted business partners.

My approach is commercial, pragmatic and human. I believe the People function should have a genuine seat at the business table, while remaining closely connected to the everyday experience of employees and managers. I take time to understand the business, its goals and its challenges before designing practical solutions that improve both organisational performance and employee experience.

Beyond the day job

Alongside my corporate career, I am Treasurer, Vice Chair and Trustee of a registered charity with approximately 5,000 members and annual revenue of around £1.2 million. This has strengthened my experience of governance, financial oversight, delegated expenditure decisions, organisational stabilisation and rebuilding trust during a challenging period.

I am also exploring how artificial intelligence can be applied responsibly to People processes, workforce insight, organisation design and the future of work through programmes with Oxford Saïd Business School and AIHR.

Experience at a glance

Strategic leadership

• Board and executive-team adviser
• People strategy and operating-model design
• Organisation design, transformation and growth

Specialist experience

• Employee relations and consultation
• Reward, talent, leadership and succession
• HR systems, processes, governance and people data
• Acquisitions, due diligence and post-merger integration

Scale

• 25+ years’ senior People and HR experience
• Workforce growth from approximately 680 to more than 1,200 employees
• Revenue growth from approximately £90 million to £160 million
• Trustee and Treasurer of a charity with approximately 5,000 members

I bring the perspective of an experienced senior People leader, but I work in a way that is close to the detail. I can help you think strategically, make progress operationally and build a People approach that supports the business you are becoming.

If your organisation needs experienced People leadership without committing to a full-time senior hire, please get in touch.