Meet the founder & principal consultant
Joanne Marshall
Joanne is a high energy leader with over 30 years’ experience working with organisations in a variety of workforce roles in both the Higher Education sector and the NHS. She has 20 years experience as an Executive Director of People and OD, and has significant experience in leading organisational transformation, change programmes, developing organisational models, organisational turnaround, complex investigations, development of strategy and underpinning strategic engagement and communications strategies.
Joanne is adept at providing constructive challenge and being a critical friend to support transition, both on an individual and team level. Experience includes extensive experience in facilitating large scale change and the development of business leaders whilst driving results with integrity and the ability to drive change in challenging financial climates working within Higher Education and the NHS.
She has significant experience in human resources, cultural change, organisational development, communications, engagement, leading a range of campus services, transformational change including large acquisitions, and the management of complex employee relation’s issues, including complex investigations and negotiating national pay awards for the HE Sector.
A strategic architect who ensures strategies are devised according to customer expectations and executed, Joanne can quickly grasp the strategic, operational and organisational challenges. Joanne provides a holistic approach to transformation using her unique style and partnership approach to best effect ensuring ownership at all levels.
With her strong leadership skills and experience, Joanne is agile and passionate about supporting others to realise their full potential and inspire change. She is an experienced chair, coach and mentor to a broad range of stakeholders from board level to grassroots staff, at a national and regional level with the ability to build lasting effective relationships with key stakeholders, with a forward-thinking approach and a proven ability to translate strategy into action on the ground and her approach is flexible, appreciative, and forward thinking.
Joanne and her business have won multiple awards at the Acquisition International’s Influential Businesswoman Awards, including “HR Consultancy MD of the Year 2024; Northern England” and “Most influential HR businesswoman of the year 2025” for her work in creating JMM People & Associates Ltd, launching the business, and ongoing work to improve her clients’ organisations.
Caroline Bacon
HR CONSULTANT
Caroline has launched her own business, CLR & Associates People Matters, and works in collaboration with Joanne at JMM. You can find out more about her services here.
With over 25 years’ experience in all things HR, Caroline has seen first-hand how businesses thrive when their people feel supported, valued, and inspired. Her passion lies in helping organisations build positive, high-performing cultures where everyone can do their best work, whilst enjoying their work journey along the way.
She doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all HR. She believes in bespoke, practical, and people-first solutions that fit your business perfectly. Whether it’s HR support and advice, team development, wellbeing strategies, or navigating change, she will work with you, not just for you, as your trusted HR Business Partner. From recruitment and onboarding to performance management, restructuring, and everything in between, she is here to make sure your people experience is seamless, supportive, and full of heart. She loves creating great experiences for people at work, because she believes that when your culture is strong, your business will flourish.
“When I’m not helping teams and leaders reach their potential, you’ll probably find me keeping fit, spending time with my wonderful family and friends, or laughing my way through life’s adventures (usually fuelled by good coffee and lots of energy!).
Let’s build something brilliant together, a workplace where people want to be, and businesses love to grow.”
Sam Moxham
HR CONSULTANT
Sam is an experienced people leader and former Chief People Officer who now works as a Strategic People Partner and consultant. She brings board-level experience and a strong commercial mindset, supporting organisations to navigate change, embed robust people practices, and unlock growth. Sam is recognised for her ability to balance strategic insight with a practical, people-first approach, enabling leadership teams to deliver results while building engaged, high-performing cultures.
Key areas of her expertise include: Strategic HR Leadership, Organisational Growth & Integration, M&A, Board-Level Partnering, Talent Acquisition, Performance & Culture Development, Commercial HR Solutions
Michelle Marton
HR CONSULTANT
Michelle is a results driven HR and Organisational Development leader with over two decades of experience spanning the NHS, higher education, and multi‑sector consultancy. She is a CIPD Chartered Member who partners with executive teams to design and deliver strategic workforce programmes, bringing a pragmatic approach that aligns business priorities with the human realities of transformation. Her leadership in complex restructures, large‑scale change initiatives, and culture development has strengthened organisational resilience and embedded values‑driven performance.
Recognised for her ability to challenge constructively, Michelle is known for building strong stakeholder relationships, fostering collaborative environments, and guiding teams through ambiguity with clarity and confidence, ensuring decisions are grounded in fairness, transparency, and legal integrity.
Her strengths include managing complex employee relations, policy development, change management, staff engagement, people planning, AFC and ECC job evaluation, and mediation.
Julie Acton
HR CONSULTANT
Julie is a distinguished Senior HR practitioner with over 30 years of experience. She has an established track record of managing industrial relations, organisational change, and employee relations in some of the most complex settings, including in the NHS and Higher Education sectors.
Key areas of her expertise include; Leadership Development, Organisational Change, Team Building, Partnership Working, People Management, Employee Relations, Formal Investigations, Workforce Health and Wellbeing, and Executive Coaching.
“There is no more valuable asset in an organisation than its people. I specialise in HR and industrial relations, ensuring not only that your workforce is nurtured and empowered but also that your policies and procedures are crafted to protect both the company and its employees, fostering an environment where everyone thrives.”
Lottie Davey
Business Manager & Executive Assistant
Lottie was delighted to join the team in 2023, having worked for in a management position for Pandora. There she used her 9 years’ experience looking after her team and ensuring a high-quality customer service for all.
Lottie is a key member of the team, providing support on a variety of projects and the smooth running of the business for all our clients.
In her spare time, Lottie loves to spend time with her daughter, walk her dog in the local park, and meet up with friends.
Time to collaborate
Let's work together
We are always open to collaborating with other organisations to offer the most suitable support as possible. If you are looking to collaborate with a service such as ours, please get in touch and we would be happy to discuss how we can help you help your clients.