ABOUT

US

Our modern, fresh approach helps businesses move faster, do the right thing, and create value.

A NEW GENERATION OF HR

Founded in 2018 it was our intention to re-write the narrative on traditional HR. It’s simple: we care about making your business go faster and are dedicated to your success. We are committed to creating wholehearted and authentic relationships. 

Founder, Jaime Gallocher takes this one step further to say she gets naked with her clients on a daily basis (not literally of course – we are in the business of HR!). Its about being transparent and courageous in the advice we provide, this approach is why our clients love us.

In 2019 we rebranded to The People Project because it felt more like us: modern, commercial, smart. It is reflective of the work that we do, which is core outsourced HR and projects.

Our team has experience across multinational corporates and SME businesses, including Manufacturing, FMCG, Tech, Financial Services, Not for Profit, Public Sector and Services.

OUR SERVICE VALUES

FRESH

Honest, straight forward and commercial solutions for your business. What you see is what you get.

We are obsessed with HR innovation and sharing knowledge to help businesses grow gets us excited.

FLEX

Business today moves fast and so do we. Adaptable, agile, and connected, we are there for you.

We mould to your unique culture and act as a true business partner.

HUMBLE

There is no place for ego’s at The People Project. It’s all about collaboration, client service and most importantly; humility.

The way we develop trust and loyalty is all to do with the value we place on long term relationships with our clients.

WE MAKE IT OUR BUSINESS TO KNOW
YOUR BUSINESS.

We’ll support you along the way. The People Project is committed to helping you drive positive outcomes, empower your people and  realise your competitive advantage.

MEET THE TEAM

Jaime Gallocher

Founder

Jaime shares her passion for people dating back to her earliest work memory jumping in the skip bins filled with paper at her dad’s printing factory. She was often found wandering around the factory chatting to the staff and getting to know everyone.

Her ever-growing interest in people started much earlier than this, but what began at the age of 10 years old in a printing factory in Glenfield was an ongoing love affair with business.

Jaime graduated from the University of Auckland with a BA Bcom in Sociology and Employment Relations and then went on to complete her Post-Graduate Honours degree in Management.

With over a decade working in the people business, Jaime brings a diverse skill set across the entire employee lifecycle.  She has multi industry experience in Leadership, Recruitment and Human Resources across both large corporate businesses and small to medium enterprises (SME’s). 

Now leading a high performing team, Jaime loves working in the trenches with her team and clients forming deep relationships and having fun along the way. 

Outside of work Jaime splits her time between Auckland and Gisborne, where she enjoys the best of both worlds.

Jaime Gallocher - Founder, The People Project
Sarah Cruz Taylor - Consultant, The People Project

Sarah Cruz Taylor

Senior Consultant

Sarah is an energetic, passionate, and commercially astute Human Resources professional with a strong background in FMCG in both Australia and New Zealand. Sarah has coupled her commercial experience with a Masters in Human Resources and Business Psychology, she offers end-to-end expertise in HR operations and strategic projects. 

Sarah is customer-focused, prioritising the needs of stakeholders and business priorities to drive an exceptional Employee Experience. Sarah is committed to partnering with business leaders to inspire and lead results-driven, constructive and collaborative cultures.

With a drive to unlock authentic leadership she is committed to building engaged workplaces with cohesive leaders and high performing teams.

Sarah can often be found enjoying the outdoors, all the way from the beach to the mountains, dog-sitting or working on her yoga practice.

Rebecca Oakley

Senior Consultant

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Human Resources, is a certified Prince2 practitioner and a current Mental Health First Aider. Rebecca brings a wealth of multi-industry experience across Legal, Financial Services, and IT. Coaching and empowering leaders, employee engagement, and process improvement drives her passion for HR. Rebecca is a true business partner that adds value to the people and businesses she works with while building trusted, long term relationships.

Rebecca spent a number of years in Dubai at a leading international law firm providing a full range of HR generalist support including performance management, appraisal programmes, compensation and benefits recommendations, onboarding and secondments, training design and delivery, recruitment, employee relations, policy development, employee wellbeing and diversity and inclusion.

Rebecca supports our clients to deliver professional, yet pragmatic solutions that are simple, user friendly and genuinely fit each client’s unique culture.

Outside of work you’ll find Rebecca looking after her young family, exploring the outdoors or playing tennis.

Rebecca Oakley - Consultant, The People Project
Shayna McCarthny - Consultant, The People Project

Shayna McCarthny

Senior Consultant

Passionate about contributing to our client’s success and coaching leaders, Shayna has a strong people advisory and employment relations background across hospitality, manufacturing and retail. Outside of her HR career, Shayna has supported a variety of social causes dedicated to mental health awareness and the fight against human trafficking. Shayna brings a balanced lens of achieving commercial outcomes and social responsibility to our clients. With an eye for business improvement, she enjoys diving into the mechanics of what makes our clients tick and streamlining the employee lifecycle to achieve great employee experiences.

Outside of work Shayna loves spending time with her family and getting outdoors, she can often be found at the beach, running around the Coast or getting a boxing class into her morning routine before her two sons get going for the day!

Chrysta Taylor

Consultant

Chrysta is a client-focussed, HR business partner who offers experience across the full employee lifecycle. Her passion for people developed at a young age, choosing Business Psychology for her undergraduate degree. Since then, Chrysta has worked across a range of industries from Construction, Financial Services, Retail and a leading commercial law firm in New Zealand.

Passionate about supporting businesses around mental health and wellbeing, she has lead wellbeing programmes and diversity and inclusion activities. She believes this is an ever-evolving area and enjoys keeping up to date with trends across different industries. Chrysta is a commercially driven with a love for partnering with leaders to help them gain the best possible outcomes for their teams and for the wider business.

Chrysta loves to keep active by running around lake Pupuke or enjoying beach walks on the Whangaparaoa peninsula. She’s currently working on a few DIY projects at home while raising her young daughter.

Chrysta Taylor - Consultant, The People Project

Georgia Walker

Consultant

Georgia is an internationally experienced Human Resources professional with a background in partnering with leaders across both private and public sectors. Georgia spent three years working in London for a leading management consultancy before returning to New Zealand in 2020 and pursuing a role in the Financial Services industry.

Georgia holds a Bachelor of Communications degree and Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management. Georgia’s passion for creating positive and engaging work environments through great employee experiences is where she adds value to our clients. She has a unique skill set for coaching leaders and managing complex employment relations matters. Georgia currently holds an independent investigator licence. Skilled at leading strategic change projects, Georgia embodies a modern approach to work and best practice outcomes for our clients.

In Georgia’s spare time you’ll find her cooking in the kitchen, tending to her vege garden or heading to the beach.

Bronwyn Rein

Consultant / E.X. and Learning Specialist

Bronwyn joined The People Project as a Consultant in 2019, bringing her learning and development background and experience from the service industry where she led national sales and training programmes for retail giant MECCA Brands. Being a people leader for most of her career, she has a strong operational knowledge of what it takes to engage a team for success.

Bronwyn’s experience spans the entire HR generalist sphere including developing comprehensive HR policy, employment relations advice, strategic change management and engagement.

Bronwyn has an innate understanding of what drives people and learning outcomes. She thrives on building leader capability and our clients get to experience her world class facilitation in action!  As our Learning and Development Specialist, Bronwyn supports all of our clients and works alongside our core consulting team.

Outside of The People Project, Bronwyn loves getting active on the weekend with her dog, Riley, and family. 

Makayla Starkey

Associate People & Culture Consultant

Makayla supports our team of consultants from behind the scenes,  enabling us to move faster, while building on our outstanding reputation of exceptional service.

Makayla’s passion for helping people is reflected through her experience and knowledge in Human Behaviour, Social Psychology and Learning & Development. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology & Education and has since used this knowledge in the corporate world. During her last role in a leading global consulting firm, she was responsible for deploying individuals based on their unique skill sets, managing resources, and eliciting business insights for leadership or in skill demand areas. This has given her business acumen in supporting speciality sectors that Consulting delves into; Private & Public sectors, Operating Models, Change Management, Financial Services, and Technology.

With a passion for all things HR, Makayla utilises these skills to support our team of consultants to achieve great client outcomes.

During her spare time, you can find Makayla spending time with her friends and family, growing her fitness routine, or trying out new recipes in the kitchen!

Ann Lake

Senior HR Contractor

Ann is a genuinely passionate, highly experienced senior People & Culture specialist with a proven track record leading HR teams. Her career in HR began when her 15-year-old son asked her to give up her counselling practice to support him in the rapid growth of his IT start-up. She joined the business, and it did not take her long to realise that the right people, and good people processes, are key to supporting a business with rapid growth.

Since completing her Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the University of Auckland Business School, Ann has been leading People and Culture initiatives across a broad range of industries to support best practice standards and promote staff engagement. She has over 20 years of experience and develops long term relationships by sharing her knowledge and coaching leaders at all levels in large and medium businesses.

Ann is has a love for employment relations and adding value to the leaders she works with in the trickiest of situations.

Outside of work Ann enjoys nothing more that eating out with friends and family.

Ann Lake - Consultant, The People Project

Emily Moore

De Novo Legal – Employment & Commercial Law 

The People Project partners with Emily from De Novo Legal for advice on current best practice legal matters.  De Novo Legal provides advice on employment and commercial law matters to a range of NZ companies.

Emily is a strategic legal adviser, having spent over 15 years working in and with a range of New Zealand and Australian businesses and industries, from multi-national IT and telecommunications companies through to SMEs and scaling start ups. Her approach is to provide clear, accessible and practical advice that helps people get things done.

Meet Emily and learn more about De Novo Legal.

Ainsley Benefield

Hive Consulting – Wellington

Ainsley is one of our partners based in Wellington. We partner with Ainsley for cross-regional projects and on the ground support in Wellington for our clients if needed. She runs her own HR consultancy, Hive.

Ainsley founded Hive to bring to life her passion for achieving positive working relationships through communication, feedback and flexibility.  She spent much of her career working as an employment lawyer in Wellington, Dublin, and London but since returning to New Zealand has worked in more hands on roles as an HR consultant. Her legal background paired with her HR experience means she has a pragmatic, people-focused approach to getting people management issues right.  She is also a qualified mediator and specialist in independent reviews and investigations.

Ainsley Benefield - Employment Relations Expert

If you wish to get in touch with any of our consultants, get in touch with us directly at [email protected]

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