Shakila Mahmood
People, Culture & Transformation Executive
I am a senior HR consultant with more than 35 years of experience helping organisations navigate growth, change and complex workforce challenges. I am known for a calm, practical and commercially focused approach that balances people, performance, risk and organisational reality.
HR that serves the business, not just the function
My approach to HR has always started with understanding the business — its commercial objectives, its culture, its pressures, and the people decisions that carry the most risk or potential.
I am not a theoretical consultant. My advice is shaped by more than three decades of operating at director and board level, where people decisions carry real commercial weight. I understand what it means to manage a workforce restructuring under time pressure, to support a leadership team through a difficult acquisition, or to handle a sensitive employee matter with both care and decisiveness.
I believe that effective HR leadership requires genuine commercial awareness, not just process compliance. Every recommendation I make is informed by what is practical, proportionate and appropriate for the organisation in front of me.
Three decades of director-level HR leadership
Sainsbury's
24 yearsSenior HR & Business Partnering RolesMy career in senior HR leadership spans 24 years at Sainsbury's, one of the UK's largest and most complex retail operations. Working at senior HR and business-partnering level, I built substantial experience in workforce planning and management, leadership development, and organisational change at significant scale.
This extended experience in a large, multi-site retail environment gave me a rigorous grounding in the practical realities of managing a diverse, geographically distributed workforce — the complexity of operations, the importance of consistency, and the commercial discipline required to make people decisions that serve the business as well as the individuals within it.
Kout Food Group
Head of HRMulti-brand Franchise OperationsAppointed Head of HR to lead the transformation of the HR function across a significant portfolio of franchise brands — including Burger King, KFC, Costa Coffee, Subway, Maison Blanc and Little Chef. This was a complex, multi-brand environment with diverse employment practices across many sites.
My work encompassed harmonising employment practices across brands, restructuring the HR function, bringing payroll in-house, strengthening HR governance, and providing the people and operational leadership that supported a significant business turnaround. It required commercial acuity, strong stakeholder management and the ability to lead change across a demanding, fast-paced environment.
Soho Sandwich Company
& Around Noon Group
HR DirectorPost-acquisition Integration & Group ExpansionAppointed HR Director, I transformed the people function and provided the senior HR leadership that supported the business through a successful acquisition. My responsibilities subsequently expanded across the wider Around Noon Group, encompassing UK and Ireland operations.
The scope of this role included post-acquisition integration — one of the most demanding HR leadership challenges a business faces — alongside organisational restructuring, people strategy, cultural alignment and ongoing leadership support through a period of significant operational growth and change.
Where my experience runs deepest
Organisational Change
- Organisational design and restructuring
- Redundancy programmes and workforce reduction
- Post-acquisition people integration
- Culture transformation and leadership alignment
- Change communication
- HR operating model transformation
Employee Relations
- Complex workplace investigations
- Disciplinary and grievance management
- Absence and performance management
- Conflict resolution and risk management
- Supporting senior decision-makers
Strategic HR Leadership
- Interim HR Director engagements
- Retained senior HR advisory
- Board and executive support
- HR function establishment and development
- People strategy for growing businesses
Sectors
- Retail and multi-site operations
- Hospitality and food service
- Food manufacturing
- Franchised business environments
- Growing SMEs and mid-market organisations
What you can expect when you work with me
Direct and clear
I give you a straightforward view of the situation. You will not receive hedged, jargon-heavy advice when clear guidance is what you need.
Commercially grounded
HR decisions exist in a business context. I consider the commercial, operational and reputational implications of every recommendation I make.
Calm under pressure
Some of the most important HR situations are also the most stressful. My role is to bring composure, structure and experienced judgement when it matters most.
Personally accountable
When you engage with STOW, you work directly with me. I am responsible for the quality and outcomes of everything I deliver.
Ready to have a conversation?
The initial consultation is free. Tell me about your situation and I will give you an honest view of how I can help.