Dearden is delighted to announce and welcome Clare Conaghan and Michelle Hodgkinson to the team. Clare who joins the team of directors, brings with her over 20 years’ experience in HR across a broad range of public, private and charitable organisations. These include retail, financial services, policing, transport, third sector and NHS. Clare has a strong track record of enabling improvement in organisations and a proven ability to make immediate positive impact. She is an accomplished HR Director with extensive experience in developing value-add HR Functions; delivering cultural and transformational change and introducing technology to enhance organisational effectiveness.

In her role prior to joining Dearden, Clare worked within the NHS, implementing and embedding a new HR structure, to increase productivity and enhance the strategic value of the function. Clare was also a key adviser on a multi-award winning transformational change programme to shift attitudes, behaviours and skills within London Underground.

Clare won’t however be the newest face on the team for long, DeardenHR is going through a period of growth and Clare will soon be joined by Michelle Hodgkinson who will be welcomed into the team of directors in April 2021.

Michelle has worked in HR roles in acute and specialist NHS settings. Most latterly, she acted as Director of Workforce and OD and has worked substantively in Deputy Director roles in both Organisational Development and Operational HR. Michelle has extensive experience of OD interventions, culture change projects, Equality and Diversity programmes as well as operational experience of Agenda for Change, identification and implementation of cost improvement measures, redundancy, change management and TUPE exercises. She has also spent 5 years working as the Head of Operations for the HR Advisory Service of a major law firm, taking overall responsibility for ensuring this employee relations service met client organisations’ individual needs.

Mark Gammage, Managing Director of Dearden said “Both Clare and Michelle bring considerable leadership skills, knowledge and a wealth of diverse experience to Dearden. We have great opportunities to help our clients advance the transformation of their business and look forward to working with Clare and Michelle to better serve them and build on the solid foundations that our existing team have established over the past years.”

Clare said, “I am delighted to be joining Dearden, where I will be part of a well-established and successful team, that makes lasting change and impact for its clients. There has never been a more important time for organisations to focus on opportunities for transformation, as we continue to adjust to our new normal, post pandemic and I look forward to working with existing and new clients to support them on their journey.” 

Michelle said, “I am really looking forward to starting with Dearden, as part of their impressive team. The last year has presented many challenges from a HR perspective and organisations are grappling with very real difficulties. I am eager to work with both Dearden’s current and new clients to embrace the positive and make the transformational changes needed.”

More information about Clare Conaghan and Michelle Hodgkinson is available at the company’s About Us page https://deardenhr.co.uk/who-we-are/