Julija O’Keeffe

Julija built the HR function from the ground up at Ringtons, a 117-year-old family business. She successfully shifted the board's perception of HR from a cost center to a performance driver. By implementing a data-driven approach to absence, she reduced rates from 11.1% to 2.8% in the "Doorstep" division and 4.6% to 1.7% in "Tea Packing," saving the company over £141,000. She also introduced the company’s first HR and payroll system, Cascade, and a new recognition platform. Her leadership improved employee satisfaction to 7.5/10 and significantly reduced attrition, delivering over £110,000 in additional savings.