Susan Popoola's Testimonials
Susan was managing the Workforce Planning function at LFEPA when I first met her as an interim brought in to help draft and implement Brigade policy. From the start she was a welcoming and knowledgeable colleague. In the intervening years we have kept in loose touch and I have been happy to see that she is a nascent thought leader through her articles and contributions to boards etc. I am more than happy to commend her to future consultancy clients as she can do the 'human' as well as the 'resources' end of the equation. Too many HR people are either one or the other. She is a rare jewel - a truly humanistic HR practitioner!
Amita Bhardway LLB, MCMI, Chartered MCIPD, Senior HR Business Partner at British Council
Susan has helped me with two organisations - create a "Thinking Space" to help senior leaders think through issues of race and privilege. Her preparation and considered thinking on the subject reflects the work that Susan has put into this area both via her experience and initiatives at a practical level and through her writing. I would highly recommend Susan to support the co-creation of a workshop / discussion group which aims to establish understanding and awareness among managers then action - in business or the third sector. She is fun to work with and I've benefited from her perspective on being human in our world as it is today. As she says - Selah!
Antonia MacleanAntonia Maclean, Grit. Commitment. Companionship | Vistage Chair, Vistage International | Managing Director, Wingivers
I have worked with Susan professionally for a number of years and her human-first approach has ensured she has been successful in providing valuable advice and insights to support change programmes as well as delivering practical facilitation and professional services to support a range of people services and organisational development activities.
Susan’s ethical activist approach, underpinned by strong core values means that I was not surprised when she responded to the horrific murder of George Floyd in 2020 by taking action. Susan created a safe space for people she had worked with to come together to explore openly the issues raised by the murder and the consequent outpouring of emotion across the world.
The discursive sessions enabled an honest sharing of views and enquiry, expertly facilitated by Susan, who allowed participants to find their own way openly and constructively. I valued the time and space to reflect, to hear from others and to bring some order to a complex and emotive challenge. Susan’s approach to deconstructing a problem so that it could be better understood and more intelligently faced provided a valuable framework in which to begin difficult conversations and emerging actions.
Dr Julie Mills OBE DLDr Julie Mills OBE DL, Chair, Helena Kennedy Foundation and Women Leaders UK