Who we are - Gateway HR

Charlotte Batchelor
Graham Ravenscroft
Carla Cifaldi
Emma Wynne
David Wynne
Theresa Wright
Lindsay Baker
Ashley Heeley
Shaun Purbrick
Rebecca Hope

Charlotte Batchelor

HR Adviser

charlotte@gatewayhr.com

“I previously worked for a UK wide hotel brand, where I spent almost 10 years in a variety of roles, Office Manager being the most recent. My role became redundant after a structure change and I saw that as a sign to get my teeth stuck into something which would give me the most opportunity to grow and develop in the world of HR. Another area of importance was ensuring I moved into a role that allowed me to work alongside people who I can trust and can also have fun with... because everybody needs to have some fun whilst at work too!

“From the get go I was made to feel extremely welcome and even came in on day one to flowers, a specially made Mug detailed with my drink of choice and a password dedicated to my 3 cats (Yes, 3!) Needless to say, it was one of my finest decisions to work for Gateway HR. The knowledge amongst the team is second to none and there is always a helping hand available should you need it. Their need and want for continuous improvement and to provide the best, most innovative service to customers is infectious and I love that I am now part of that.”

Charlotte joined Gateway HR as an HR Adviser in November 2017. She is currently holds ILM level 3 and CIPD level 3 qualifications.

Graham Ravenscroft

Lead Performance Coach

graham@gatewayhr.com

"My employment history includes 30 years’ service at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, ending my career in 2017 as a Watch Manager. I lead a team of operational Fire Fighters in their day to day duties and at a wide variety of incidents. I have also held a number of coaching roles for the Great Britain Team at many World & European Championships. From October 2009 to March 2017 I worked as a consultant for England Athletics as a National Coach Mentor, with responsibility for developing the skills and expertise of our top coaches across the whole of the UK.

"I now use my coaching expertise to support the performance progress of local, national and international businesses, as well as working with a variety of public sector services and armed forces. A lot of my time is also spent writing and facilitating workshops for business leaders and managers, teaching them how to employ coaching skills, and make coaching a part of their everyday management style and embed it into the business culture.

"Having gained a Level 5 Diploma in Stress Management, I also deliver training on recognising the signs and symptoms of stress related illness, how to avoid it and how to manage the workplace, conditions and your people."

Graham joined Gateway HR as Lead Coach in November 2017. His qualifications include: IAAF Elite Coaching Diploma Level 5, CPCAB Level 5 Diploma – Stress Management, UKA Level 4 Performance Coach, IOSH – Health & Safety and ILM Level 3.

Carla Cifaldi

HR Consultant

Carla@gatewayhr.com

Emma Wynne

Managing Director , Chartered FCIPD, MA HRM

emma@gatewayhr.com

"I established and continue to grow Gateway HR from a firm belief that when people are managed and developed well it truly is the best thing that can happen for both individuals and the organisations they work in. Rightly or wrongly, most people spend more time at work than at home, so work needs to be a place where they feel happy and want to do their best. When a business delivers this feeling of engagement, the results in terms of profit, innovation and growth are endless.

"I wanted to be sure that this was the ethos in my own business. As we have grown as a team I like to think that the way our own people are managed, developed and engaged means that we deliver these results for both our business and therefore our clients' business.

"I want to see HR or People Management to be truly valued for what it can add to a business. We can only do this by living up to our strapline - 'Welcome to personable HR' - to win the trust of the business, its leaders and its employees so we can become a trusted partner, not simply an outsourced service."

Emma started Gateway HR in 2007. She has an MA in HRM, has lectured for the University of Northampton and the CIPD at Master’s Degree level, and often presents at conferences across the UK. She is Gateway HR’s Senior HR Consultant and Head of Training.

David Wynne

Account Manager

david@gatewayhr.com

David has been a Director of Gateway HR since the early days but until 2020 was not involved in the day to day running of the business. As an ex-firefighter David has been working in the fire protection business, carrying out risk assessments, fire training and extinguisher servicing. In fact it was David working as a fire fighter that introduced us to Graham as they were on the same watch at Kettering Fire Station for 6 months.

With Gateway going from strength to strength and with big plans for 2020 and beyond, David has decided to join the team and work with the Sales and Marketing team on Business Development.

“Having watched Gateway HR grow over the years and build a great reputation both with clients and team members, I wanted to be more involved and help it grow even further. Having had a varied 35 year career including agriculture, purchasing, firefighting and fire protection I have seen first-hand the importance of good people management and development, and the damage the opposite can have. I want to be part of the team that is determined to help more people have a great experience at work.”

David joined the team in 2020 and is CIPS (Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply) qualified and various Fire Protection Association accreditations.

Theresa Wright

Business Manager

Theresa@gatewayhr.com

My employment history has mainly been within the public and charity sectors in a range of finance and business development roles. The responsibilities of a Business Manager are incredibly varied and include finance, marketing, human resources, health and safety, premises management and more. I can be writing a bid one minute and cleaning the toilet the next!!

I loved my previous role as Business Manager for a local young people’s charity and I always said something really special would have to come along for me to even consider leaving. In 2019, our charity became Gateway HR and Training Ltd’s charity of the year and I met the team……it didn’t take me long to realise that they were something really special!

"The Gateway team are great and I felt I belonged from the moment I arrived to find my character mug sitting on my desk. They are friendly, professional and experts in their field but also know how to have fun – the photos of the 80’s night out on LinkedIn are evidence of that! As a company, they are always striving for continuous improvement and have a strong belief in personal and professional development, something that really resonates with me. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to work for such a forward thinking company that is passionate about what they do".

Theresa joined Gateway HR in January 2020 as Business Manager. She has a first class BSc (Hons) Open degree with a focus on business management and psychology.

Lindsay Baker

Head of HR , Chartered MCIPD

lindsay@gatewayhr.com

"I previously worked for a manager where fairness was at the forefront of everything. Before that I worked in an employee owned organisation where everyone took ownership of what they were doing as it had an effect on all employees.

“When Emma spoke to me about coming to work for her it was a massive leap. I was a single mum keeping a house and everything else that goes with that. The guarantees around salary and a continuing job were less, but I believed in the company. What I saw was someone who was running a business based on doing things the right way. I didn’t move for the salary, I moved to work with Emma and do a job I love in a way where I don’t feel forced to do things I don’t agree with.

"In short, I enjoy working in an ethical and fair way for people who treat me in the same way."

Lindsay joined Gateway HR in 2012. As well as being an ACAS Certified Mediator, she has a diploma in HRM, certificates in HR Practice and HR Management, and is a chartered member of the CIPD.

Ashley Heeley

Senior HR Consultant , Chartered FCIPD

ashley@gatewayhr.com

"I had been made redundant from my last job, and being in my late 50s I was at an age when I had to decide what to do now. Did I really, deep down want to carry on working for somebody else doing stuff I was not altogether happy in doing, or was it time for something else?

"A friend had been asking for some time 'Why don’t you work for yourself?', but the security of a regular salary, nice car, BUPA etc. makes making that step more difficult; especially since I was the only earner in the family. I started looking at my options: a franchise; interim/contract work; or going it alone.

"After some thought I realised the 3rd option was my best, but I didn’t have a clue what to do. I spoke with someone at an exhibition who suggested talking with Emma at Gateway, which I did. Emma in her usual persuasive way suggested that it would be a good idea if I would be her “man in the North”.

"I loved Emma’s philosophy and could buy into the business quite easily. I liked the people, and felt it would really provide me with an opportunity to support businesses who need it and in turn I would be part of a business that would support me in my new adventure. I made the right decision!"

Ashley joined Gateway HR in 2014 as a Senior HR Consultant. In the past he’s held HR Manager and HR Director roles in a number of companies. He has a diploma in Personnel Management, is a qualified Talent Q Practitioner, and a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.

Shaun Purbrick

HR Consultant , MA HRM, Chartered MCIPD

admin@gatewayhr.com

“Just over 10 years ago I was invited to join a small emerging company specialising in the provision of pharmaceutical services and people. This gave my first real insight into the practicalities and challenges of people management coupled with the need to meet or exceed client expectations in an increasingly competitive market. In this role it was critical to balance the needs of employees with those of the business and its clients. Working with an external HR consultant, I set up the company's first HR department and introduced all the necessary supporting policies, procedures and working practices. During this time I came to realise that I had finally found a career I wanted to follow and develop.

“I met Emma when I enrolled in the CIPD Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. I think it’s fair to say we hit it off quite quickly, both sharing a pragmatic approach to HR and people management. Sometime later I invited Emma and Gateway to deliver people management training at the company where I was working. Gateway continues to be one of their preferred training providers to this day.

“I have always been aware of Emma's desire to grow her business and extend its geographic reach, so when I made the decision to leave my role and relocate to North Norfolk I approached Emma about becoming her 'man in the East'.

“Emma and her team really do care about what they do and how they do it. They have welcomed me with open arms and I am delighted to have joined such a nice group of friendly, professional, highly trained and experienced individuals who share my values and passion for HR.”

Shaun joined Gateway HR in 2017 as our 'man in the East'. He has an MA in HRM and is a Chartered member of the CIPD.

Rebecca Hope

Business Support Administrator

Rebecca@gatewayhr.com

"I was approached by a recruitment agency with a job that would be perfect for me! I was told that the role was with a fantastic company to work for, who valued their employees. Who wouldn't want to work for a company with such a great reputation! On my first day with Gateway I received flowers to welcome me, my own personalised character and coffee mug. I've never had such a warm welcome! All the team are great to work with, I love working here!"

"In my youth I trained as a medical PA with the Civil Aviation Authority and stayed as a PA for 16 years, before changing over to a more customer service focused role. I love the all round flexible approach and variety of work that administration provides".

Rebecca joined Gateway HR in December 2018. She has consumed more milk than any other employees combined! She is quite partial to Pear drops as well.

What our clients think

One of the directors of our company, Rob Buxton, suggested that we may benefit from an HR audit from a BNI member, Gateway HR. At first we were sceptical about this. Firstly, nothing in life is free – ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ and all that. Secondly, we’re a firm of accountants, dealing with businesses, staffing matters and so on all the time – what could Gateway possibly do for us? Firstly we can confirm that the HR audit was totally free. We were visited by one of their consultants, Lindsay Gibson, who was with us for about an hour. During this time we ran through the procedures and systems that we have in place for dealing with our staff. Shortly after the meeting we received a health check from Lindsay that clearly showed the areas in which we were good, and the areas where improvements were needed. It became apparent from the report that we didn’t know as much as we thought we did.

Lindsay suggested that we should adopt a new staff manual. We agreed with this, and the first version arrived shortly afterwards. Various amendments were needed and Gateway were happy to assist us with making as many alterations as necessary. We have found Gateway to be thoroughly professional in all of our dealings with them, and would recommend their services to any business.

Mark Stockwell, BKS Accountants - client with a Starter Pack Plus

“James Gray initially engaged Gateway HR for some advice around the departure of a senior, long-serving staff member. The advice we got was clear and concise and the team were always on hand to support decisions that were being made around contractual obligations.

Following this initial engagement, we took advantage of the HR audit and starter pack to review all our existing forms and contracts. This is great value as it gave us a new suite of compliant documents that are all consistent and tailored to us. We have also committed to a longer-term arrangement with the Peace of Mind service offering which ensures Gateway are always on hand for any guidance. We have been very happy with the support to date and look forward to continuing the relationship.”

Richard Samuels, MD, James Gray Recruitment

We started working with Gateway HR earlier this year and never fail to be impressed by their friendly, efficient service and support. Their help over the last few months has been invaluable

Krissen Jessiman, Hingerose Ltd - Monthly peace of mind subscription client

I’ve run a small business for many years and thought I was doing it properly myself – I wasn’t! I can’t recommend Gateway highly enough for the way that they have taken care of my HR, sorted it out professionally and left me to concentrate on what I do best

Alan Bellamy, Bellamy Eyecare - Monthly peace of mind subscription client

Thank you so much for the support you have provided us over the last couple of weeks. The quality and reactivity of your service has been second to none.

Sharon Womersley, The Lowdown - HR Services and Support