The next in the Advo ‘Whose Who’ series, which introduces you to the people who make Advo successful, is Michelle McHugh, one of our highly experienced HR Consultants.

I joined Advo in October 2024 as a HR Consultant, having spent the majority of my HR career working in operational roles within in-house environments. Consultancy was a new chapter for me, but I was excited by the opportunity to broaden my experience, work with a variety of organisations and learn from both the fantastic Advo team and the clients we support.

My journey into HR began in 2017, although my career before that gave me a strong foundation in people management. I started my working life in retail, working for Arcadia Group across brands including Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis, before progressing into their Head Office customer services team at their HQ in Central London. During this time, I developed valuable experience in supporting customers, managing relationships and eventually progressing into a Team Leader role. These experiences gave me a strong understanding of people, communication and the importance of creating positive experiences, which ultimately sparked my interest in HR and supporting both employees and organisations.

I started my HR career with a well-known bathroom company, initially joining as a Team Leader within their Technical department, where I managed a contact centre of 12 agents supporting plumbers, retailers and customers. I later progressed into the role of HR Officer, where I developed a broad HR generalist background, supporting managers and employees across a wide range of areas including recruitment, employee relations, absence management, performance, learning and development, and payroll. Working closely with teams across sales, customer services, finance, IT, marketing and distribution gave me valuable insight into the different challenges faced by organisations and the importance of adapting HR support to meet business needs.

I later moved into a HR Business Partner role within the engineering sector, where I partnered with senior leaders and managers across the business, supporting complex employee relations matters, organisational change, restructuring and wider people initiatives. This role further strengthened my ability to provide pragmatic advice, challenge when needed and support leaders in making fair and commercially sound decisions.

Throughout my HR career, I have always been passionate about developing my knowledge and continuing my professional growth. Alongside working full time, I completed my CIPD qualifications, achieving my Level 7 Diploma in Human Resource Management in 2023. This has allowed me to combine practical, hands-on HR experience with a strong understanding of employment law, best practice and the wider strategic role HR plays within an organisation.

Joining Advo has given me the opportunity to bring all of these experiences together, supporting a diverse range of clients with their people challenges. I particularly enjoy the variety that consultancy brings, no two days are the same, whether that is supporting a complex employee relations matter, reviewing policies and contracts, delivering training or helping managers build their confidence in handling people issues.

I pride myself on being approachable, straightforward and honest in my advice. I believe HR should be both legally sound and practical, and I enjoy building trusted relationships where clients feel supported to make informed decisions that work for their organisation and their people.

I grew up in Southeast London and have gradually made my way into Kent over the last 17 years. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring new places, going on holiday, trying new restaurants and enjoying good food. I also love getting out for walks, relaxing with a good film or getting stuck into a box set.