HR, Inclusion and Heart-Led Leadership | Lisa Ironside of The HR Dept Aberdeenshire

HR, Inclusion and Heart-Led Leadership | Lisa Ironside of The HR Dept Aberdeenshire

From Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success by Brenda Hector

April 10, 2026 · 38 min · Season 3 · Episode 146

About this episode

Lisa Ironside discusses her journey in HR consultancy and the importance of inclusion and proper employment practices for small businesses.

In this episode of Scale HER Up , I’m joined by Lisa Ironside , owner of The HR Dept Aberdeen Shire and Bagamoyo Consulting Limited . Lisa shares how Bagamoyo Consulting began as her first business after leaving the corporate world, creating a space for her passion around inclusion, culture, diversity and belonging. She then added The HR Dept Aberdeen Shire as a natural extension, bringing practical HR consultancy and employment law support to small and medium-sized businesses who need trusted advice but do not have in-house HR. We talk about what small business owners really need when they start hiring, why getting proper contracts and advice in place matters, and how strong communication, clear business values and honest conversations can prevent people problems from escalating. Lisa also explains why the Employment Rights Bill does not need to be something business owners fear, as long as they lead fairly and communicate well. Lisa is also very open about her own journey into business. She talks honestly about redundancy, illness, recovery, burnout, rebuilding at her own pace, and finding the courage to create a business that reflects her values. It is a thoughtful…

People in this episode

Host: Brenda Hector

Guest: Lisa Ironside

Topics covered

  • HR consultancy
  • inclusion
  • diversity
  • small business support
  • leadership
  • employment law

Keywords

  • HR
  • inclusion
  • small business
  • employment law
  • leadership
  • diversity
  • contracts
  • communication

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The HR Dept Aberdeenshire, Bagamoyo Consulting Limited

Places: Aberdeen Shire

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