Esther O'Halloran

Esther has recently set up her own HR Consultancy offering Business Savvy Commercial skills, solutions and insights to Senior Leaders and HR teams. Sharing her vast business knowledge, commercial experience and people development skills. She draws upon a wealth of practical and operational experience gained at Director level in both senior business and HR roles across the retail and hospitality sectors. Appointed Managing Director at PAUL Bakery in January 2012 after more than 5 years as HRD. Following 11 years HR professional experience in specialist and generalist roles gained from working for a variety of brands.

Her early career started in retail fashion management for Jigsaw, Wallis and H&M, before moving into hospitality Area Operational roles in Whitbread branded restaurants and hotels. This provided invaluable operational experience of both industries from the front line. She has more than 4 years Recruitment and Retention HR specialist experience with restaurant brands including Costa, Cafe Rouge and TGI’s, before joining Pret a Manger as Head of Recruitment during major expansion. In 2003 Esther moved into HR generalist roles; Head of People for EAT sandwich retailer setting up the HR function from scratch, Head of HR for SpaceNK luxury retail beauty brands and 5.5 years HR Director for PAUL Bakery, a French family owned patisserie and boulangerie retail/cafe based in London.

Specialisms;

• Employee engagement and employer branding
• Linking HR and Business Strategy
• Business mentoring and coaching
• Organisational development and Culture
• Change Management
• Providing practical core HR solutions

Esther is a Fellow Member of the CIPD, an active Volunteer Committee Member of 2 HR professional networking groups (HR Retail Circle and HR in Hospitality) as well as a member of the London Advisory Board for Springboard Charity. Her first degree is a BA Hons in Fashion & Textiles and she has a Masters in Personnel Development from Westminster University