I’m a Fractional Head of People, Talent, and Culture leader for global startups and scale-ups.

Progressively people-first with 14 years of experience, I help organizations build values-aligned scalable teams, operations, and cultures.

I strive to be the change I want to see in the world of People.

Hi, I’m Mary 👋

Connect with me on LinkedIn

I am a data-driven People Leader with over a decade building values-aligned teams, ops, and cultures for startups, scaleups, and social impact. As a strategic partner to senior leadership, I operate with a people-first approach whilst balancing what is best for the business. I care deeply about being the positive change I want to see in the world of People & Talent, performance and purpose, employee and candidate experience, community and connection, and DEI.

I’ve partnered with founders and leadership across VC-backed startups including ReGrow, Patch, Seed, Floyd, Formic, Understood, Aspiration, Dollar Shave Club, Headspace, ClassPass, and more - to champion business growth with progressive People Operations, Culture programs, and end-to-end Talent Acquisition.

I love the early stages of every business and typically enter around 10-50 headcount as a generalist to build out scalable foundations (including people tech stack, tactics, tools, and strategy) to go from 0 < 1, then 1 < 10, and run full cycle People, Talent, and Culture. I’ve equally enjoyed doing this as an advisor, agency partner, embedded consultant, and in-house employee.

What I do

I offer comprehensive consulting services to support your organization's unique growth and success, provide high-level strategic guidance and expert hands-on support that is both flexible and cost-effective whilst balancing people x performance, delivering high impact for you, your team, and your business.

Let's chat

Services

- People Function Strategy
- Process, Program, & Policy Design
- Tools & Tech Implementation
- HR Admin (including payroll, benefits, documentation, records)
- Compensation Design (including leveling, competitive benchmarking, ESOP, total rewards)
- Workforce Planning & People Budgets
- Compliance and Global Employment Law
- Employee Engagement & Retention
- Performance Management & Training
- Change Management & Transformation
- People Metrics
- Talent Acquisition Strategy
- Sourcing & Screening
- Interview Coordination and Selection
- Employer Branding & EVP Development
- Candidate Experience Enhancement
- Hiring Process Design
- Onboarding Program Design
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
- Talent Metrics & Reporting
If you’re looking for free input or my fancy five cents on your new platform, product, or feature, I love supporting ad hoc requests from lean startups in search of an experienced and passionate startup advisor.

Let's Chat

Engagements

All engagements and fees are custom-tailored to suit your needs and work within your budget. Two ways to work together are:

Hourly Rate

Best for less than 10 hours/week or less, and ad hoc flexible support

Retainer

Best for 10 hours/week or more, and dedicated on-demand strategic support

I help mitigate People Debt

People Debt is the accumulated cost of undervaluing and underinvesting in your People function, leading to compounding productivity and culture challenges as your business grows faster than your people operations can develop and maintain.
Unchecked People Debt can lead to a downward spiral from hindering growth to ultimately jeopardizing your company's future.
With compensation and benefits making up the largest area of US business spend (40% to 80% of gross revenue, depending on the business sector), it is critical for employers to focus on a data-driven People-first investment approach.
The costs of People Debt are not just financial; they extend to missed opportunities, talent drain, and reduced customer satisfaction.
If business growth outpaces its People Ops, Talent, & Culture development, the gap widens, making People Debt even costlier to resolve.
💡 Companies that invest in employee experience are 4x more profitable than those that don’t. [Zipdo]
💡 Positive employee experience results in 16x higher engagement levels and an 8x higher likelihood of employee retention. [McKinsey]
💡 The average cost to fill a role is roughly ⅓ of the employee’s annual salary. [LinkedIn]
💡 The annual turnover rate across all US industries is 19%. Over half (53%) of employees who leave their company feel unrecognized for their contributions. [Quantum Workplace]
💡 86% of candidates check Glassdoor before applying, with 55% avoiding companies with poor ratings. [Glassdoor]
💡 After a negative hiring experience, 28% of candidates leave negative online reviews, while 57% leave positive reviews after a positive experience. [CareerPlug]
💡 A neutral or negative candidate experience leads to 64% of job seekers refraining from purchasing goods or services from the company. [HiringThing]
Investing in your People function is not just a nice-to-have or an HR compliance checkbox; it is an essential strategy for driving sustainable growth, fostering a positive work culture, and securing both short and long-term business success.
Research shows that neglecting People Debt can lead to significant challenges, while people-first companies that take time to enhance their human capital strategies and recognize employees as economic value-creators see consistent ROI in boosts across performance, productivity, and cash flow.
Leadership, invest in your People early and often. Don't let People Debt become a roadblock to your success. A strategic People hire can be the keystone to fostering a positive culture, retaining top talent, and fueling your company's growth.