Fractional CHROs in London Making Things Happen in 2025

London Interim Chief People Officers to Know

London has always been a global business center. It’s where legacy industries meet innovation, and where fast-scaling companies are just as likely to be found in heritage buildings as in co-working spaces. Across fintech, professional services, life sciences, and nonprofits, companies in London are facing growing complexity—and are increasingly solving it through fractional leadership.

Among the most in-demand roles? Fractional Chief People Officers (CPOs) and CHROs. These professionals are helping organizations navigate growth, transformation, and culture shifts—without the long lead time or high cost of a full-time executive.

At Digital Reference, we’ve curated a list of London-based fractional CHROs who are bringing clarity, structure, and alignment to companies that need senior HR leadership right now. Whether operating independently or as part of advisory collectives, these leaders aren’t just consultants. They’re trusted partners, embedded thinkers, and action-oriented strategists.

Our Curation Process: How We Select Fractional CHROs in London

We don’t believe in surface-level directories. Digital Reference evaluates each profile through a lens of quality, alignment, and local relevance. To be featured, each professional must:

• Be active in the London metro region and serve UK-based organizations
  
  
• Clearly identify as working in a fractional, interim, or embedded CHRO/CPO capacity
  
  
• Offer a track record of HR leadership across multiple sectors or high-growth contexts
  
  
• Be publicly accessible and referenceable via LinkedIn or firm profiles
  
  
• Align with Digital Reference’s core belief in reputation as currency
  
  

The result? A highly curated resource for founders, operators, and boards who need executive-level HR partnership on flexible terms.

London Fractional CHROs to Know

🔹 Ally Maughan

Founder & Chair, People Puzzles | Strategic People Leader | Board Advisor
Ally Maughan founded People Puzzles to help mid-sized businesses get access to senior HR strategy without hiring full-time. Since 2010, her firm has embedded fractional HR Directors and CHROs across the UK. Ally herself has led transformational people projects in businesses ranging from scale-ups to complex enterprise environments. She’s passionate about aligning people strategy with commercial outcomes—and she’s built a team of leaders who do just that.

🔍 Specialties: People planning, growth-stage orgs, founder coaching, team effectiveness
📍 Based in: London, UK

🔹 Michelle Lustig

Fractional People Director | HR Consultant | Commercial HR Partner
Michelle brings a pragmatic, outcomes-focused lens to her work as a fractional HR director and CPO. With experience across fintech, retail, tech, and healthcare, she’s known for helping companies grow intentionally—especially as they approach inflection points like fundraising, re-orgs, or international expansion. She partners with leadership teams to align HR strategy with wider business goals, focusing on both the structural and cultural dimensions of scale.

🔍 Specialties: Scaling people ops, HR infrastructure, org design, HR audits
📍 Based in: London, UK

Why London Businesses Are Turning to Fractional HR Leadership

London’s labor market is one of the most international and dynamic in the world. But that dynamism brings complexity—especially when companies need to:

• Scale HR functions quickly
  
  
• Professionalize culture without losing identity
  
  
• Navigate compliance across the UK and EMEA
  
  
• Manage hybrid and remote transitions
  
  
• Prepare for due diligence or investment rounds
  
  
• Introduce performance management or reward systems
  
  

Fractional CHROs solve for these challenges in weeks, not months—giving companies the leadership they need at exactly the right time.

Common Use Cases for Fractional CHROs in London

🧭 Startups post-funding: Founders need help building HR from scratch
📈 Mid-market growth: You’ve outgrown your people systems but aren’t ready for a full-time CHRO
🌐 Global expansion: Need HR strategy across borders with compliance in mind
🔄 M&A and integration: Fractional CHROs help unify people practices across entities
📣 Crisis or brand damage: A trusted CPO helps rebuild internal culture and trust

Whether it’s for 10 hours a week or a six-month engagement, fractional HR leaders are giving London companies the clarity and capacity they need to lead through complexity.

What Sets a Great Fractional CHRO Apart?

At Digital Reference, we look beyond credentials to find leaders who embody three things:

✅ Contextual judgment: They can drop into any org stage and assess what’s really needed
✅ Reputation and referenceability: Others trust them—and that trust travels
✅ Alignment with founders and boards: They know how to navigate high-stakes, high-urgency environments

Ally and Michelle aren’t just doing HR—they’re helping organizations become better versions of themselves.

Digital Reference Spotlight: Related Reads

Looking to learn more about fractional leadership or build a reference-first hiring strategy? Check these out:

📘 How to Hire a Fractional Executive
A practical guide for founders and operators navigating interim leadership.

📍 The Importance of Professional References
Explore why third-party credibility is more critical than ever in today’s trust-driven hiring market.

📘 Collecting Professional References: The Dos and Don’ts
References are often the make-or-break element of your next opportunity. Yet many professionals still treat the reference process as an afterthought or, worse, scramble to collect them last minute.

📗 The Talent Ecosystem: Why Fractional Operators Are Reshaping the C-Suite
Explore the structural shifts behind the rise of fractional leadership and what it means for your next hire.

Final Thought: The Future of HR Is Flexible—and That’s a Good Thing

As London continues to evolve into a hub for startups, scale-ups, and global firms, the leadership models supporting those companies are changing too.

Fractional CHROs are no longer a “maybe.” They’re a strategic yes for companies that want to scale without losing their culture—or their edge.

From building DEI frameworks to designing performance systems, from coaching founders to helping boards regain trust, these people leaders aren’t waiting for org charts to be finalized. They’re showing up, solving real challenges, and shaping workplaces that work better for everyone.

Ally and Michelle are already making things happen in London. And if your business is growing faster than your people strategy, this is exactly where you start.

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✅ Check Out Our Local Directories of Fractional CHROs & Interim Chief People Officers by City

This resource highlights city-specific guides to some of the most impactful interim and fractional Chief People Officers across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Each directory offers a look into the unique business culture of the region and the leaders driving people strategy forward.

• Atlanta
  Fractional CHROs in Atlanta Making Things Happen
  Atlanta’s talent leaders are shaping diverse, tech-forward workplaces in a city that’s become a magnet for startups, logistics firms, and entertainment enterprises. Fractional CHROs here are experts at managing rapid growth and culture change.

• Chicago
  Fractional CHROs in Chicago Making Things Happen
  In this powerhouse of industry and innovation, Chicago’s fractional CHROs help organizations scale intentionally—blending legacy systems with modern people practices in finance, healthcare, logistics, and tech.

• Columbus
  Fractional CHROs in Columbus Making Things Happen
  Columbus combines Midwestern values with high-growth potential, and its interim people leaders bring strategic clarity to fast-growing startups, educational institutions, and service-sector employers.

• Denver
  Fractional CHROs in Denver Making Things Happen
  Known for its entrepreneurial spirit and wellness-driven culture, Denver is home to CHROs who specialize in building values-aligned teams and sustainable HR infrastructures for growing businesses.

• Detroit
  Fractional CHROs in Detroit Making Things Happen
  In the heart of the Midwest’s manufacturing revival, Detroit’s people leaders are reinventing what workforce strategy looks like across automotive, tech, and nonprofit sectors.

• Houston
  Fractional CHROs in Houston Making Things Happen
  Energy, healthcare, and logistics dominate Houston’s economy, and the city’s CHROs are uniquely equipped to address complex compliance needs and workforce transformations.

• Indianapolis
  Fractional CHROs in Indianapolis Making Things Happen
  As Indianapolis grows into a regional tech and biotech hub, its interim HR leaders are guiding companies through strategic hiring, leadership development, and HR tech implementation.

• Jacksonville
  Fractional CHROs in Jacksonville Making Things Happen
  Jacksonville’s fractional CHROs serve fast-growing industries like finance, logistics, and healthcare—offering guidance on culture-building, operational scale, and remote workforce policy.

• Las Vegas
  Fractional CHROs in Las Vegas Making Things Happen
  Beyond hospitality, Vegas is growing its footprint in tech and healthcare—and its HR consultants are ushering in next-gen talent strategies in industries that rely on high performance and adaptability.

• Los Angeles
  Fractional CHROs in Los Angeles Making Things Happen
  In this entertainment and startup capital, LA’s CHROs specialize in hybrid teams, talent branding, and aligning creative and corporate cultures under fast-paced conditions.

• Miami
  Fractional CHROs in Miami Making Things Happen
  Miami is a rising tech and finance hotspot with a diverse workforce—and its interim people leaders are fluent in multicultural management, bilingual team dynamics, and global HR systems.

• Naples
  Fractional CHROs in Naples Making Things Happen
  In Naples, fractional HR leaders help small to midsize companies and family-owned businesses build professionalized systems without compromising close-knit cultures.

• New York City
  Fractional CHROs in New York City Making Things Happen
  From Wall Street to SoHo startups, NYC’s fractional CHROs are masters of navigating complexity—balancing regulation, rapid scaling, and inclusive leadership in high-pressure industries.

• Orlando
  Fractional CHROs in Orlando Making Things Happen
  Tourism, healthcare, and education anchor Orlando’s economy—and its CHROs provide high-touch leadership solutions that prioritize retention, well-being, and frontline empowerment.

• Phoenix
  Fractional CHROs in Phoenix Making Things Happen
  Phoenix is booming in construction, healthcare, and tech—and local CHROs are helping businesses mature people operations while retaining agility in competitive labor markets.

• Raleigh
  Fractional CHROs in Raleigh Making Things Happen
  As part of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is home to biotech, education, and tech talent—and its HR leaders are supporting scaleups with science-backed people strategies.

• Salt Lake City
  Fractional CHROs in Salt Lake City Making Things Happen
  SLC combines entrepreneurial energy with deep-rooted values, and its fractional CHROs offer people solutions that honor both innovation and integrity.

• San Diego
  Fractional CHROs in San Diego Making Things Happen
  Life sciences, defense, and tourism converge in San Diego—where fractional CHROs are helping companies adapt to hybrid work and global growth strategies.

• Seattle
  Fractional CHROs in Seattle Making Things Happen
  Seattle’s HR experts are key players in navigating tech sector challenges—from layoffs to equity planning to scaling culture across global engineering teams.

• St. Louis
  Fractional CHROs in St. Louis Making Things Happen
  This Midwestern city is home to major employers in healthcare, finance, and manufacturing—and its fractional CHROs support operational resilience and inclusive workforce planning.

• Washington, DC
  Fractional CHROs in Washington DC Making Things Happen
  In the nation’s capital, people leaders serve nonprofits, associations, and purpose-driven orgs—providing strategic clarity and DEI leadership in highly regulated environments.