Gemma
Gemma’s HR journey began in recruitment before she moved into a generalist role across different sectors, including retail and property. In 2010, after having her family, she made the scary decision to set up her own consultancy – and hasn’t looked back since.
What began as Gemma Farina HR, a solo venture, has grown into the friendly, approachable team that is GFHR Consulting. Gemma leads the business with a focus on people, relationships and making HR feel simple and human.
What she brings:
- Chartered Member of the CIPD
- BA (Hons) Sociology, University of Leicester
- Mental Health First Aider
- All things employment law and employee relations
Sonia
Sonia started out as an Employment Lawyer at a top London firm and worked for almost a decade as an employment solicitor before moving into legal education and coaching.
Since joining the GFHR team in 2014, she’s been our legal go-to, helping clients stay compliant, consistent and confident when managing their teams. Calm, clear and endlessly knowledgeable, Sonia makes the legal side of HR feel less daunting.
What she brings:
- BA (Hons) French and Spanish, University of Nottingham
- Diploma in Law & Legal Practice, Nottingham Law School
- Contracts, policies and practical employment law advice
Heather
Heather joined GFHR Consulting as an Associate in 2022 and has been a key part of the team ever since.
She’s our steady hand for dealing with performance issues, investigations or disciplinaries.
With an extensive HR background spanning healthcare to engineering, she brings a practical, no-fuss approach.
What she brings:
- BA (Hons) Business Management (Hospitality), Bournemouth University
- MSc Human Resources with CIPD, London South Bank University
- Employee relations, grievances and workplace investigations
Natasha
Natasha joined the GFHR team in 2018, bringing with her Generalist HR and Graduate Recruitment experience from within the legal and professional services sectors.
Now, she supports our clients with onsite day-to-day HR – everything from recruitment and onboarding to handling people issues with care.
- Social Science (Economics, Politics & Sociology), University of the West of England
- Graduate recruitment know-how
- Fractional HR support
Felicity
Fliss joined us as an Associate in 2024, bringing a wealth of HR experience from her time with a global FTSE 100 retailer.
She works closely with our clients as their on-site HR lead—shaping people plans, developing policies, supporting recruitment, tackling HR challenges, and creating training that really sticks. She is also highly skilled in Employee Relations, providing clear and confident guidance on complex workplace issues.
What she brings:
- Chartered Fellow of the CIPD
- Postgraduate qualification in HR Management
- Extensive experience in organisational design and restructure
- Specialist knowledge of leadership development and employee engagement
Stephanie
Steph joined the GFHR team in 2024 and quickly became the glue that holds everything together. From onboarding to documentation and project support, she keeps things running smoothly for both our clients and our team.
With a background in internal HR, Professional Standards and learning & development in financial services, she’s all about the details – and always happy to help.
What she brings:
- BA (Hons) Dance and Culture, University of Surrey
- Management Information, L&D, employee benefits and all-round HR coordination
Leanne
Leanne brings a mix of HR expertise and a love of systems, process and structure.
Before joining GFHR in 2024, she worked in HR generalist roles in financial services, and in HR Business Partner and operations roles in the insurance and legal sectors.
Leanne now helps us (and our clients) stay organised and future-ready.
What she brings:
- Chartered Member of the CIPD
- BA (Hons) Business Administration, University of Kent
- Life Coaching Diploma, New Skills Academy
- HR strategy, operations and process improvement