Rachel
Coupland

WHO I HELP

Start Ups. SMEs. Investor-Backed Businesses. Internal HR Teams. Business Owners & Directors. Medium-Sized Companies. Internal AAB People team.

HOW I HELP

Account Management. Outsourced HR Function. HR Strategy Development. HR Framework Implementation. Employment Tribunal / Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) preparation. Performance Management. Organisational Design. Internal Management, Leadership, Mentorship and Development. Internal Business Operations. Business Development & Growth.

SECTORS/SUPPORT

Technology. Leisure, Retail & Hospitality. Financial services. The internal AAB People Team.

“WE ARE GENUINELY PASSIONATE ABOUT PROTECTING OUR CLIENTS FROM RISK & BUILDING POSITIVE STRATEGY.”

As Senior HR Business Partner, Rachel Coupland manages and leads the AAB People team in England. This encompasses looking after HR consultants and associated support team, as well as managing the client sites that we partner.

Having been in people-related roles for 20 years and being professionally qualified through the CIPD, Rachel has cut her teeth as a service- and solution-driven, commercially focused HR generalist.

Rachel’s key skills include managing HR operations, creating and implementing HR strategy, driving culture, talent development, and change management. She is also experienced in cost saving strategies that have resulted in significant business savings. Her work has seen her gain experience across a wide variety of sectors. These include: talent acquisition, technology, financial services, pharmaceuticals, intellectual property research, and development (IPRD), aviation, and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries.

A core quality of Rachel’s is that she continually maintains a passion within the people function to focus on current trends. She leads with a dynamic edge to embed forward-thinking initiatives and influence behaviours that are increasingly value-adding and transformational.

TWO-WAY TRUST

“An ideal relationship with a client, for me, is one where there’s trust and confidence from both sides, leading to us being embraced as the internal HR team within that client site. I enjoy relationships where I can offer a balance of proactive as well as reactive support wherever necessary.”

INTEGRATED & SOLUTIONS-DRIVEN SUPPORT

“Offering uncomplicated, integrated, knowledgeable and solutions-driven support is what our clients expect from us. They can expect us to work seamlessly in the background, holding their people programme as our top priority, so they don’t have to worry about the compliance, risk, or strategy. Clients can relax knowing that we’re always one step ahead and considering all outcomes and factors.”

GIVING CLIENTS OPTIONS & CONTROL

“Personally, the most satisfying element of working with clients is that it’s all about service delivery and understanding the commercial aspects of their business. I like being able to ensure that clients are always given options, and that they always know that they are in control. We will always offer our informed, impartial, and honest advice and suggestions, but it is ultimately within a client’s power to choose the path they want to take. When clients say, ‘thanks for that – that was so easy!’ it’s a great feeling.

I always feel I add value when I can reassure a client that we can take care of whatever it is they need painlessly, and in a time-effective manner.”

THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING A MENTOR

“In terms of working with colleagues, with all my years of experience and professional qualifications, it is a genuine privilege to be a mentor, and to be able to watch the team grow and develop. It’s amazing to give someone the tools and confidence to do the job that I still love as much as when I first entered into people management. To feel the same passion and drive (that I have) when my team supports our clients is fantastic. Our clients really are top priority.”

EMPOWERED BY TECH

“The fact that AAB Group is tech-enabled to such a degree is really empowering – the wide scope of people management and our vast capability ensures that using tech truly enables a ‘best in class’ service delivery.”

WE NEVER STOP LEARNING

“The thing that makes me most excited about the future my own future as part of AAB People is the aspect of personal growth. We really do never stop learning. It excites me that new things still come to the surface, processes are improved and streamlined, and we are responsive in a field that is always evolving to some degree. I always get a buzz when we start working on a new client and they see the difference our approach makes, and I love figuring out how we can offer an even higher standard of service and even better solutions.

I’m excited about the development AAB People too – watching an organisation I love grow and develop at such an impressive rate reinforces my motivations every day.”

BUSINESS PARTNERS – NOT WORKPLACE POLICE

“A pet hate that I have is how People Management is perceived – it has changed so much over the years, but we’re often still thought of as workplace police! We are business partners. And we are focused on adding value and providing direction that works for your individual business and I advocate this to anyone that will listen!”

MAKING CLIENTS FEEL THAT THEY ARE OUR FOCUS

“One of the AAB Group Values is that ‘Clients are our passion – our purpose is to help clients to achieve their goals and sleep at night. We relentlessly pursue this purpose.’ This is so ingrained in the whole team’s approach to work because we love what we do and without our clients we couldn’t do it – it’s that simple. Our clients share our values, and they know that we genuinely care! We are genuinely passionate about protecting their business from risk and focusing on their individual strategy, while driving their people programme. We fine tune our approach to each client and make you feel that you are our only focus.”

LEADERSHIP

“I think one of the greatest strengths I bring to AAB People is my leadership. My leadership skills have developed over many years, and they allow me to inject drive, encourage collaboration, instil focus and organisation, and ultimately ensure that we are delivering excellent solutions to our clients. I understand what motivates people, and I know how to draw upon everyone’s strengths, whilst helping them to develop areas they’d like to improve. I’m big on collaboration – when one of the team calls me to discuss an issue, I make sure we always reach a conclusion together, and find a solution together. After all, collaboration is our superpower!”

BRILLIANT FEEDBACK

“I’ve had some fantastic compliments over the years. I’ve had clients say to me that I make things easy for them, that they can’t do what they do without me, that I’ve changed their opinion on HR professionals, and even that they’re leaving the business but would like to take me with them! It’s always lovely to have it confirmed that I’m doing what I set out to do every day… which, simply put, is to help my clients.”