Meet the Team

Established in 2005

Bespoke HR was established in 2005 by Alison King to provide flexible HR advice and guidance.

We are a team of HR and business consultants based in Guildford, Surrey and work with hundreds of clients across a range of industries ranging from healthcare, hospitality and finance to media, manufacturing and IT.

Our HR consultants are all CIPD qualified and we match clients with consultants based on their background and industry experience. This means our clients benefit from a lead consultant who understands their business and industry, with the support from the wider in-house team.

Alison King

Managing Director 

Alison founded Bespoke HR in October 2005. After many years working for others in senior HR functions; she decided to start up on her own. There isn’t much that Alison doesn’t know about the world of HR, and she has surrounded herself with a team in her own mould. Nothing is too much for Alison; you will find her humour and knowledge infectious, and easy to work with. When Alison isn’t working she spends much of her spare time with her family. Her dream is to take a Winnebago around the States.

Read our interview with Alison.

Ian King

Company Director

Ian has been involved since Bespoke HR’s formation back in 2005 and working in the business since 2012. His main areas of focus within the business are finance, marketing, commercial, IT and process improvement and automation. Ian has many years experience running businesses in many of these areas. When Ian isn’t working, he likes to spend his spare time with his family.

LinkedIn: Ian King

Hannah Trueman

Operations Manager

Hannah has been with Bespoke HR since graduating from university in 2013. Since then, she’s completed an MSc in Business and Management whilst working full time. Hannah is the linchpin of the operational team and deals with everything from onboarding new clients to billing, systems and generally making sure everything runs smoothly. When she’s not dedicating her time to Bespoke HR, she enjoys spending time with friends and family and travelling the world, ticking destinations off her bucket list.

Read our interview with Hannah.

LinkedIn: Hannah Trueman

Tara Lohn

Managing Consultant – Finance, Charity & Professional Services

Tara joined the Bespoke HR team in 2017 with over 20 years HR generalist experience working in retail, pharmaceuticals and financial services. Tara is MCIPD qualified with expertise in a variety of HR disciplines including pre-and post-merger integration, performance management, succession planning / talent management, employee relations, and reward. Tara is also a licenced SHL assessor, with experience designing and delivering assessment and development centres. Tara has also previously sat as Magistrate in Guildford for 2 years. Outside of work, Tara is a keen horse rider and dog walker.

Read our interview with Tara. 

Nicky Mori

Managing Consultant – Retail, Leisure, Hospitality & Security

Nicky is a fully qualified CIPD professional who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a HR generalist. With over 10 years experience working within Senior HR roles in the service industry, Nicky’s expertise span over many HR disciplines including employee relations, recruitment, talent management and employee engagement.
When Nicky isn’t working she is kept busy with her young family and can be usually found travelling around the countryside in her VW camper van.

Read our interview with Nicky.

Irene Sullivan

Irene Sullivan

Managing Consultant – Healthcare & Manufacturing 

Irene is MCIPD qualified with a career spanning a range of industries, primarily within charity, travel and retail organisations. With over a decade of experience as an HR generalist, she has a passion for creating and fostering positive workplace environments and promoting an engaging and motivating culture to enable people to reach their full potential. Most recently having worked as a Senior HR Business Partner, Irene has honed her skills in developing HR strategies, managing complex recruitment processes, overseeing restructures and driving the successful implementation of HR Information systems. In her spare time, she is an avid trail runner and keen gardener and has two little ones who love to help with the digging. 

Read our interview with Irene. 

Katy Wade

Katy Wade

L&D Manager

Katy is a fully qualified CIPD professional with a postgraduate diploma in HR management and an Advanced Certificate in Employment Law. Katy has over 20 years of experience working mainly in the hospitality industry. She is passionate about supporting businesses to develop their teams; from recruiting the right person to implementing a sound learning and development strategy. In her spare time, Katy loves spending time with friends and her young family and is also a keen netball player.

Read our interview with Katy. 

Irene Sullivan

Sian Whittington

Senior HR Consultant – Media, Marketing, IT & Telecoms

Siân joined the Bespoke HR team in 2017. As a fully CIPD qualified HR Consultant, her broad experience includes organisation design and development, talent planning, performance and reward, employee engagement, employee relations, HR compliance and HR information systems. Prior to joining the Bespoke HR team, Siân supported established organisations and entrepreneurial ventures advising them through their stages of creation, growth and stabilisation. In her spare time Siân can be found exploring leafy Surrey with her dog, teaching Pilates and experimenting in the kitchen (mainly with hot chillies).

Read our interview with Siân.

Laura Toft

Laura Toft

We are aware of a phishing scam currently sending SMS messages that appear to be from Bespoke HR. These are not legitimate messages, nor do they have anything to do with Bespoke HR or any member of the team here.
Phishing attacks are unfortunately becoming increasingly common in today’s digital landscape. Despite our best efforts to implement robust security measures, cyber criminals have targeted our organisation with fraudulent text messages designed to deceive recipients into disclosing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.

It’s important to note that our systems and databases have not been compromised, and any information we store remains secure. However, if you have received any suspicious text messages claiming to be from our company, we urge you not to respond or click on any links contained within the message.

The trust and confidence you place in us are of utmost importance, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of security and integrity. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

HR Consultant

Laura joined Bespoke HR in 2023, having worked for the last five years in HR in healthcare, events, and further education industries. After completing her Level 5 CIPD this year, Laura is keen to continue to progress and develop her knowledge and skills. Outside of work, she loves to sing and is part of a ladies’ a cappella choir and quartet.

Read our interview with Laura. 

Bria Freeburn

Bria Freeburn

Junior HR Consultant

Bria joined Bespoke HR during her placement year as part of her Business Management degree in 2019. Since graduating with her MSc in Management (International Management), she has returned to Bespoke HR as an HR Assistant, promoted to Junior HR Consultant. When she isn’t working at Bespoke HR, she enjoys spending time with friends and family.

Read our interview with Bria.

Chris Conlan

Chris Conlan

HR Administrator

Chris is an undergraduate student studying Business Studies with Human Resource Management at the University of Surrey in Guildford. He is currently working with us for his placement year. In his spare time, Chris likes participating in various sports and spending time with friends.

Photo of team

Clair Taylor

Finance Manager

Clair joined the Bespoke HR team in 2020 after taking a career break to raise her two children. She has a broad range of experience covering accounting, financial management and processes, gained across different sectors of industry. She achieved the ACCA qualification in 2010. Outside of work, Clair enjoys spending her time with her family and friends.

Charlie Andrews

Charlie Andrews

Payroll Coordinator

Charlie has over 15 years of payroll experience, in that time she has worked for payroll bureaus and has also run the end-to-end of in-house payrolls. She has worked for a variety of different industries, including education and healthcare. When she’s not at work, Charlie teaches Yoga, enjoys spending time outside and travelling the world. 

Emma Mackley

Emma Mackley

Marketing Manager

Emma joined the Bespoke HR team in 2016 and has worked in marketing and PR for over 20 years in a variety of public and private sector roles. After having children, Emma set up her own freelance PR and social media consultancy working with a range of B2B clients including exhibition organisers and trade associations. When she’s not at work, Emma enjoys spending time with her family and spin class in the dark with disco lights!

Read our interview with Emma. 

Bekki Watts

Bekki Watts

Digital Marketing Executive

Bekki joined Bespoke HR in 2023, with 10 years of marketing experience predominately in the automotive and real estate industries. She has been freelancing for the last year supporting businesses with their content creation, social media and email marketing. Outside of work Bekki volunteers for, and has taken part in a number of treks for, the breast cancer awareness charity, Coppafeel!

Ishka King

Office Dog

Ishka joined the Bespoke HR team in 2012 when she started as an apprentice at just 8 weeks old. Ishka holds the most important role within the company, that of helping to keep the team stress free, taking it in turns to ensure everyone gets a chance to make a fuss of her and ensuring everyone knows if anyone comes to the office front door.

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