Siobhan Godden is the founder of High Performing HR, a Fractional HR consultancy based in Bedfordshire, England. She is a CIPD Fellow, ICF Associate Certified Coach, and licensed practitioner for Insights Discovery, the GC Index, and the RocheMartin ECR, with over 20 years' HR experience.
-About me
Hi, I'm Siobhan. I help growing businesses get the people stuff right
I work with founder-led businesses with up to 80 employees across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes and London, providing Fractional HR director services, leadership coaching, recruitment support, and HR technology implementation. My career spans engineering, construction, technology and the not-for-profit sector.
I partner with founders and leaders of growing businesses who've reached that tipping point; where gut instinct stops scaling and people problems start costing you sleep, money, and momentum. You don't need another permanent seat at the table. You need judgement on demand, experience under pressure, and expertise without the politics or empire-building.
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35 to 78
Supported workforce doubling by building HR infrastructure from the ground up and developing the management layer to sustain scale
World class
Drove Best Companies accreditation and achieved World Class status in year two, improving retention in a high-churn sales environment
Multi-jurisdiction
HR lead on multi-jurisdictional setup of a not-for-profit, navigating cross-border employment complexity from inception
After more than 20 years working in HR across multiple sectors (from engineering and construction to tech start-ups and not-for-profits) I kept seeing the same pattern. Growing businesses hitting a wall because the people side hadn't kept up with the ambition.
They didn't need a full-time HR director (and couldn't justify the salary). They didn't need a generic consultancy that hands over a policy pack and disappears. They needed someone who'd sit at the table, understand the business, and actually own the people agenda, not just advise on it.
That's why I built High Performing HR. To give ambitious, growing businesses access to senior HR leadership that's commercially sharp, refreshingly honest, and genuinely moves the needle, without the overhead.
-MY STORY
Why I started High Performing HR
"Siobhan is able to look at any issue from multiple perspectives and gives clear judgement. A perfect sounding board for decisions."
"She completely gets our culture and values, and through a number of challenging situations has skilfully guided us through. We know we're in safe hands."
-HOW I WORK
I'm not here to tick boxes
I don't write policies that sit in a drawer gathering dust. I create the frameworks people actually use, help you make better people decisions, protect what you're building, and give you your time back so you can focus on growth.
Typically I'm retained two to three days a month as a member of your leadership team. I own the people agenda, not just advise on it. That means I'm in your meetings, coaching your managers, handling the difficult conversations, and building the HR infrastructure that lets your business scale.
✔️ Commercially sharp — I understand business, not just HR. Every recommendation connects to your bottom line
✔️ Refreshingly honest — I'll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Diplomatically, but clearly
✔️ Judgement on demand — when the tricky stuff lands on your desk at 9pm, I'm the person you call
✔️ No empire-building — I'm here to build your capability, not my department. The goal is always for you to need me less over time
-CREDENTIALS
Accreditations and qualifications
I invest in my development so I can bring the best tools, frameworks and thinking to my clients. Here's what sits behind the advice.
-WHAT I CARE ABOUT
Beyond the day job
My work is shaped by a deep commitment to equity and potential. These aren't just values on a wall - they're the lens through which I approach every engagement.
Women in the workplace
I'm passionate about advancing women in business, not through special treatment, but by building cultures and structures where talented women don't have to fight twice as hard to progress.
Young talent
Through my early careers work, I help young people aged 15-24 uncover their strengths and build careers with purpose. Every young person deserves someone who believes in their potential.
Neurodiversity
I'm committed to creating environments where neurodiverse individuals can thrive — not by fitting them into existing boxes, but by redesigning the boxes to work for everyone.
-WHAT I CARE ABOUT
When I'm not doing HR…
I'm based in Bedfordshire and work regularly across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, and London. When I'm not helping businesses sort their people stuff out, you'll probably find me walking the dog, being a taxi to my teenagers, or out for a meal with husbands and friends.
I believe the best work happens when people feel safe, valued, and genuinely excited about what they're building.
That's what I try to create in every business I work with.
If you want HR that's commercially sharp, refreshingly honest and actually moves the needle, let's have a conversation.