Senior HR Consultancy

Senior HR Leadership When Your Business Needs It Most

For more than 35 years I have operated at director and board level — advising CEOs, founders and leadership teams through restructuring, acquisitions, workplace investigations and the complex HR decisions that carry real commercial weight.

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When you work with STOW, you work directly with Shakila Mahmood — not a junior consultant or an automated service.

Shakila Mahmood, founder of STOW — Senior HR Consultant
35+Years of
HR Leadership
  • 35+ Years at Director & Board Level
  • Large-scale Retail & Food Manufacturing
  • Multi-brand Franchise HR Leadership
  • Post-acquisition People Integration
  • Complex ER & Workplace Investigations
When organisations need me

The situations I step into

Most of my clients contact me when they are managing something significant — a people situation that carries risk, or a business challenge with real HR complexity at its centre.

  • A complex employee matter has escalated and requires careful handling
  • A restructure, acquisition or integration is planned or already under way
  • The business has grown faster than its HR capability can keep pace with
  • The leadership team needs experienced HR guidance without adding to headcount
  • Senior HR leadership is absent and the gap needs to be covered with credibility
  • The people function needs to become more commercially aligned and strategically effective
What I offer

Four areas of senior HR support

Organisational Change & Transformation

Supporting businesses through growth, restructuring, acquisition and significant organisational change. Organisational design, redundancy programmes, culture transformation and post-acquisition integration.

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Retained & Outsourced HR Support

Ongoing senior HR leadership without the cost of a full-time HR Director. Day-to-day advice, leadership support, policies and governance, employee lifecycle management and strategic HR partnership.

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Shakila Mahmood, senior HR consultant
Why work with me

Practical. Commercially focused. Directly involved.

I am Shakila Mahmood. I have spent my career at director and board level, advising CEOs, MDs and boards through some of the most demanding people situations a business can face.

  • A practical, not theoretical, approach. My work is grounded in the commercial realities of running a business. I give clear, direct advice rather than generic frameworks.
  • Director-level experience across sectors. I have operated as HR Director, Head of HR and executive adviser in retail, hospitality, food manufacturing and franchised businesses.
  • Calm handling of sensitive situations. I am particularly experienced in managing complex employee matters, workplace investigations and difficult organisational decisions with care and consistency.
  • Flexible engagement models. Whether you need project support, an ongoing retained partnership, interim HR Director cover or board-level advisory input, I adapt to what your business actually needs.
  • You work directly with me. There are no intermediaries, no handoffs to junior team members. Every engagement is personal.
Learn more about Shakila
Career experience

Real organisations. Real complexity. Real results.

My career spans three decades in senior HR roles across the UK's most demanding operational environments — large-scale retail, multi-brand franchised food service and food manufacturing.

Sainsbury's24 years · Senior HR and Business Partnering

Twenty-four years supporting large-scale retail operations at senior HR and business-partnering level. Developed substantial experience in workforce management, leadership development and organisational change across one of the UK's largest retailers.

Kout Food GroupHead of HR · Multi-brand Franchise

Appointed Head of HR to lead the transformation of the HR function across a portfolio of brands including Burger King, KFC, Costa Coffee, Subway, Maison Blanc and Little Chef. Responsibilities included harmonising employment practices, restructuring the HR function, bringing payroll in-house and supporting a significant business turnaround.

Soho Sandwich Company & Around Noon GroupHR Director · Post-acquisition Integration

Progressed to HR Director, transformed the people function and supported a successful acquisition. Responsibilities subsequently expanded across the wider group, including UK and Ireland operations, post-acquisition integration, organisational restructuring, people strategy and leadership support through significant cultural and operational change.

Strong businesses are built on strong people foundations.

Tell me what you are navigating and I will give you an honest view of how I can help.

Book a Free ConsultationSend an Enquiry

The initial consultation is free. Response within 24–48 business hours.