About

My name is Liz and I am the ‘team’ behind Headlands. With over 14 years’ experience across senior people roles and more recently social research, my work combines a unique blend of strategic people expertise, stakeholder engagement and rigorous inquiry. Whether you’re a charity or CIC seeking to understand stakeholder impact or a small business embedding inclusive employment practices, I tailor solutions that reflect your purpose, scale and priorities.

A different approach

I work across two strands of expertise:

• Social research and evaluation, such as stakeholder engagement, project consultation, and impact reporting.
• Organisational development and people support, including employment toolkits, policy design and inclusive people practices.

Headlands. was built to offer collaborative, accessible support – avoiding jargon and focusing on outcomes. My approach is grounded in practical experience, research rigour and a commitment to social value.

I’m a qualified HR practitioner with senior experience shaping people strategies that have been recognised by Investors in People and shortlisted for CIPD People Management awards. I’m also a postgraduate researcher exploring urban social infrastructure, bringing added depth and knowledge to my research and stakeholder engagement work.

Background and experience

With over a decade in senior HR roles and a growing portfolio in qualitative research, I bring cross-sector insights to every project. I’ve worked with independents, social enterprises, creative industries and charities, supporting both internal team development and external-facing evaluations.

I’ve presented research at university conferences, contributed to postgraduate teaching, and served as a trustee and Non-Executive Director, actively shaping organisational governance and strategy.

Speaking appearances

• 2021-2026 – Associate/guest lecturer on MA Cities and Liverpool School of Art and Creative Industries MA programmes at Liverpool John Moores University (Reimagining cities, social and solidarity economies, and creative, participatory and applied research methods)
• September 2025 – Presented conference paper on ‘Social infrastructure provisioning and austerity in decentred urban geographies’ at European Sociological Association RN37 Midterm Conference, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
• June 2024 – Co-presented conference paper on ‘Engaging Students with Community Social Infrastructure in Liverpool’ at Liverpool John Moores University Students at the Heart Conference.
• June 2023 – Co-presented conference paper on ‘Real-World Impact in Research’ at Liverpool John Moores University Students at the Heart Conference.
• June 2022 – Co-presented conference paper on ‘Realising a more human city; why we need social infrastructure’ at Liverpool John Moores University APSS Faculty Conference.
• February 2022 – Cause4 Trustee of the Month online feature – available here: https://www.cause4.co.uk/blog/pick-month-february-2022
• October 2021 – Expert speaker on Diversity & Inclusion for MSc in Human Resource Management programme cohort at University of Liverpool
• June 2021 – Course contributor for Strategic Influence module on MSc in Human Resource Management programme at University of Liverpool
• May 2021 – Expert panel speaker on Strategic Influence in HR for MSc in Human Resource Management programme cohort at University of Liverpool

Qualifications and awards

• March 2024 – Associate Fellowship of Advance Higher Education (AFHEA) and SEDA Supporting Learning Award.
• February 2022 – Vice-Chancellors PhD Scholarship (Liverpool John Moores University) awarded to research community-owned social infrastructure in Northern towns.
• September 2020 – Lynda La Plante Award for Outstanding Student (Liverpool John Moores University)
• September 2018 – September 2020 – MA in Cities, Culture and Creativity with Distinction (Liverpool John Moores University)
• September 2011 – June 2012 – CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Human Resource Management (Wirral Metropolitan College)
• September 2006 – June 2009 – BA(Hons) in Drama with English Literature (University of Manchester)

Full CV and references available upon request.