In2HR

Since graduating from Coventry University in 1990, with a degree in Mathematics, Nicki Kempston started her career with Federal Express in Derby, working for them in various locations for 12 years.

It was at Federal Express she became aware of the personnel department (as it was called then). At the time the personnel department did not have any vacancies so she offered to complete her ‘day job’ in 4.5 days, and would then help the personnel team with their administration, filing, etc. on a Friday afternoon to gain some experience. When a vacancy arose they gave Nicki the job, as she had used her initiative, worked hard and shown a keen interest in the department.

Nicki then worked her way up the Personnel / HR ladder to become HR Manager responsible for the 500 warehouse and transport staff based form Derby, before moving internally to be the HR Manager at Heathrow Airport responsible for 750 staff who had transferred to Ryder (Federal Express in the UK was sold to Ryder) under a TUPE transfer. Being an airport environment, it was highly unionised and it was there that Nicki developed her excellent skills in influencing, negotiating and mediating to resolve every HR issue imaginable!

From there Nicki moved to become HR Director for a field marketing company looking after 850 employees based nationwide who were dealing with clients such as Nestle, Vodafone and Johnson and Johnson. As a board director influencing the company strategy from a people-perspective and managing a team of five, Nicki gained the skills necessary to create and manage her consultancy, In2HR Ltd, she formed in 2004.

Nicki formed the consultancy after realising small businesses still had the same people issues that big companies did, yet they didn’t have the internal resources to help them. Consequently, they either sought expensive advice from employment lawyers or just ‘muddled through’ either not dealing with the issue or handling it badly and ending up facing a tribunal claim.

So with 22 years HR experience under her belt, successfully running In2HR Ltd for 11 years and being MCIPD qualified, there are not many employment or people issues that Nicki has not come across. Nicki’s client say that she talks their language when she is advising them without the legal jargon they would get from a solicitor.